To think if you’re that paranoid about covid perhaps you should stay at home

[bagpuss90]

Apologies for yet another covid thread . Just for the record-I’m a trained nurse -I’ve also taught infection control . I’m very respectful of the two metre rule. I’ve stuck to the rules throughout. Yesterday I was out with my dog - there was a man and woman ahead of me . I wanted to overtake them as they were walking very slowly. They were not old people by the way. I walked well over two metres away from them to do this. Probably more like three metres. We were on a piece of open space .The woman began shouting at me about covid. Telling me there are rules. I pointed out I was nowhere near her. Her husband actually told her to calm down. I accept she may have underlying health issues. I also accept people are scared . But am I being unreasonable in thinking that you can’t go out and shout ( throwing lots of droplets out then anyway) at anyone remotely near you - you just can’t . If you really are that paranoid then perhaps stay at home. I’m sure I will get flamed here.

@Lifeinaonesie

Agree, I'm often shouted at when out in the countryside with my dogs, nowhere near other people, I'm very aware of keeping my distance but I've had people walk over to me (much closer than 2m) simply to tell me off for being outside or not wearing s mask in a field. It's barmy. The hostility is awful. I note that my dh never gets accosted like this so I wonder if people are getting bored and deciding to take it out on easy targets like single women?

This is odd. I haven't experienced this at all when walking my dogs in the countryside. Not disputing that this has happened to you. I am afraid I would be very abrupt towards anyone who tried this on me

I totally agree with you OP.
I was shouted at when overtaking a slow walker - I walked out into the road, probably 3 metres away. She shouted ‘SOCIAL DISTANCING, get away!!’ at me! I’m sorry to say that my response due to shock was an equally rude ‘oh fuck off.’

I went home and reflected on it and how she might have been very scared and I wouldn’t want to be a person that feels that way, life must be pretty misaerable. However, I just wasn’t able to shake it off and it played on my mind all day. Incivility and rudeness has a really negative affect on people, covid related or not. I think if this happens again I’ll try and say something like ‘your behaviour (shouting etc) is really upsetting me.’ And see what happens. That way I’m not being personal about them, I’m calling out the behaviour.

Aye right.

I wouldn't worry about replying "Oh fuck off", having now been sworn at the social distancing zealot might be more circumspect in future

Agree OP.

I've learnt to grow a thicker skin over this. I've tiptoed through life being very considerate and probably taken on more responsibility for other people's feelings than I should.

So I'm hyper aware that people are scared and I work very hard to not make them more afraid when I'm out. So I know that people's reactions are their reactions and not to do with me. It's quite liberating really to be finally realising this.

I agree OP. People need to get a fucking grip of themselves.

I agree OP. I think a lot of people have an excuse now to exercise their inner Karen and need to feel they have power over other people.

I think this about people who moan about those out walking, when they’re out walking ! ‘Well I have always walked down that lane every Wednesday at 10am and now there’s OTHER PEOPLE we are in a LOCKDOWN this is MY LANE’ 😂

Last week I was ranted at by a woman. I’d got off the bus and it was absolutely tipping it down so I hot footed it to the bus stop so I could get my brolly out. I was stood at the opposite end of the bus shelter and the woman sitting at the other end started ranting. I assumed ( being in Central London) she was a crazy person but I looked up and realised she was actually addressing me. If I had got near to her ( no idea) it doesn’t actually authorise her to unleash a torrent of abuse on me. If she’d be civil I would have apologised but as she wasn’t she’s lucky I kept my mouth shut.

Empathy is a two way street. I have empathy, or at least sympathy, for people who are very nervous. I make sure that I make my 5yo DS distances on our walks. I don’t go into shops with him. This is because of infection control and also to make sure that people who I encounter feel comfortable. In return I expect that people are polite and do not treat my son like a leper for the temerity of being a child outside.

@Blueeyedgirl21

I can remember a thread in Lockdown 1 where the OP was in a “naice” village and was offended that people from a nearby modern estate were walking near her house as part of their exercise.

Shouldn't everyone be staying at home as much as possible? As per the main message in the government guidelines?

YANBU. We are all equally responsible for maintaining a safe distance. If someone invades "my" space then it is just as much my responsibility as it is the other person's to step away.

Simply being within 2 metres of someone doesn't spread Covid - it's the expulsion of air through coughing, talking, and bloody SHOUTING that spreads it.

Usually I ignore people who shout, but a polite "fuck off you stupid bitch" normally shuts them up.

I think a lot of people have an excuse now to exercise their inner Karen and need to feel they have power over other people.

What on earth is their inner Karen?

Husband is a postal worker. He pushes a ginormous trolley down some quite narrow paths. He gets yelled at at least once a day in the street. He's used to it now. He could move the ginormous trolley into the road in which case he'll get run over by fast moving traffic. He's being monitored for his speed and pace so if he stops too long his PDA goes off and his manager knows he's stopped, therefore a certain speed is required. Of course the public don't know this, but it doesn't mean he should get shouted at, does it?

He always wears a mask and tries to keep 2-3m away from people but sometimes it's impossible.

I understand the anxiety I really do but no-one should be shouted at in the street.

I’ve noticed this more in recent weeks.
Am also a nurse, totally au fait with infection control, social distancing. Worked with covid patients for a year now.
Went for a walk in a park on Sunday. DH had stopped at a coffee van so I walked on ahead. Wide path, about two metres wide but mucky on either side of the path. Woman with two small children coming towards me. She stopped, dragged the children into the mud and said at the top of her voice ‘We’ll just have to stay here until the nasty lady goes past because we don’t want to get close’ I was genuinely speechless. So I paused, looked at her and LOLd. Those poor kids.
People have lost their minds.

On from my previous comment about not everyone being a nice person - I was just thinking -if my mum was shouting at people in the street -I would be very concerned that someone would react very badly towards her .

Doublefaced Jesus that’s terrible .I fear we will have a generation of kids with a disproportionately large number of them having ocd.

I’m not paranoid about Covid but I am concerned. I am a bit anxious around people but usually keep a lid on it. I find a whole lot of people have no idea what 2m actually is.

Without my daily walks, I couldn’t cope with the situation so it’s not as easy as “just stay at home”

Perhaps it would have been simpler and kinder just to smile and move away a bit more rather than getting arsey about how someone else’s mental health momentarily affected you.

Not exactly the same situation but yesterday I fell out with a local twat who had decided that his dog a metre away from my terrified, disabled DD wasn’t that close and she shouldn’t be scared. Some people seem to have no idea how anxiety works and decide they know best. That’s a crappy thing to do.

Yes I agree.

I understand they are scared and anxious, but behaving like that to other people, who may also be scared and anxious is out of order.

My daughter suffers with horrendous anxiety - she got shouted at by someone the other day - DD was nowhere near this person, walking alone across an empty park, when they started shouting at her, telling her she was too close, they were going to report her to the police as she wasn’t wearing a mask. DD was already finding it difficult to leave the house without a panic attack.

I’ve been shouted at a few times the last couple of weeks

Last week I was walking my dog along a pavement when I came across someone sitting on one of those BT broadband cabinets. It was set well back so when I walked past her I was 3-4 metres away from her. I’m not sure what I was supposed to do 🤷‍♀️

Yesterday I went to get my horses in from their field when someone was standing by their gate, I indicated from a distance that I needed to get to the gate, they moved well away then started shouting at me to stay back, etc. I pointed out that I was at least 10 metres away from her, I needed to get my horses in and wasn’t going to wait around while she just stood there admiring the view and that she was trespassing on private property in the first place. She got even more abusive after that so I ignored her

I am understanding and I’m respectful of social distancing and always leave at least 2 metres. My own daughter is struggling with anxiety, so I’m patient and polite and do what I can to help

If someone invades "my" space then it is just as much my responsibility as it is the other person's to step away.

It’s amazing how many people think this also applies to DD with her cumbersome and sometimes difficult to control walking frame. Apparently she is supposed to move off the path on to the grassed area that she cannot walk on.

I think a lot of people underestimate how close they come to others when “just passing”. I would try to have some empathy for someone who is clearly struggling and consider whether you really did give her as much space as you could have.

Agree with you OP. People like that need to realise they need help rather than attacking innocent people.