If you're still sticking to ALL the rules/guidance - why?

[RaspberryCoulis]

Will start by saying I am not sticking to the covid rules any more. Obviously I can't go places which aren't open. But we have had people in the house, kids are going out with friends probably in larger numbers than are permitted, we're crossing local authority boundaries which is supposedly illegal in Scotland. Why? Because we've been in lockdown for a year, cases here are very low, and some things are more important than Covid.

But on every thread there are people claiming that they are sticking rigidly to every single rule and guideline, never breaking ANY rule. They would probably say I was a selfish covid-denier who was hellbent on murdering their granny.

So if you're sticking to all the guidelines and rules, without fail - why? People who are clinically extremely vulnerable (officially) I can understand in part if they're not vaccinated. But the rest of you? Is it because you're scared of Covid, or scared of your neighbours, or scared of breaking the law by mistake?

It doesn't massively inconvenience me to do so.
I have some thought for other people who can't, for example they have to go to work. The fewer of us out there, the better.
I am in a bubble with a friend who lives nowhere near me (she is similarly, bubbled with me, we are allowed to do this as per the rules) as we want to go on our holiday (within the UK) next month.

All you people saying cases are low - don’t you understand that it’s BECAUSE of the restrictions? If we didn’t have them would cases be this low through magical thinking?

So many plums out there. All potentially endangering me and my loved ones.

Sometimes, folk, somebody else really does know better than you what’s good for you.

I have stuck to the rules and continue to do so, because overall they are sensible even if some have been difficult for me , and I try to think of my community as a whole.

@Kimye4eva

Because I want to minimise the risk of having to isolate. I don’t want DC1 to have to miss any more school and I don’t want to lose our childcare for DC2. Work would be a nightmare from home trying to look after both of them.

That’s really it for me. Having to isolate would be a right pain.

Your rule breaking probably doesn’t matter that much BECAUSE the majority of people are not breaking the rules right, left and centre. What makes you entitled to be the exception? Just selfishness? We were at far lower levels of infection, hospital cases etc last summer and we relaxed and back we went into the second wave. Now that vaccination is making a difference while we are still locked down why not wait a few weeks more with the rest of us? What gives you the right to sneer at people who are following the rules?

Each individual infringement of the rules carries a very small chance of increasing transmission. Add them all together, and it's different.

Admittedly, some infringements probably carry and infinitessimal risk, but one of the problems is laying down easily understandable rules. You can't have a rule that something is not allowed "unless your particular circumstances mean it's reasonably safe". That would be a bit like saying it's okay to go through a red light if you're sure it's reasonably safe. So we have to have blanket rules that will rule out things that are very likely to increase transmission but may also rule out situations that may not carry much risk.

Hi OP

I haven’t stuck to the guidelines. In the first lockdown, I met my mum for a walk outside once, I also had dinner with my partner and best friend at my mums house on my birthday during lockdown. However, I work with my mum and best friend, so as we were mixing in a working capacity I didn’t think it would be the end of the world if I saw them occasionally.

When I got to 38 weeks pregnant, I went on maternity leave, stopped seeing my best friend and saw my mum about four times before baby was born (she was almost four weeks late), I also had my shopping delivered and only went out to walk my dog everyday (I live in the countryside though and usually saw nobody). This was because I was paranoid that would catch COVID and then my home birth would be compromised.

Since having baby six weeks ago, I’ve seen my friend once, I have formed a bubble with my mums house hold (you can do this if you have a child under one).

So yeah, I’ve broken the rules. Not a lot but I have.

If I’m truly honest, although I know people who’ve had covid, I know absolutely no one who has been so poorly they needed hospital treatment. Let alone anyone that has died. So I’ve found it very difficult to believe that there is any sense in this continuing now that we have had the majority of the most vulnerable vaccinated. I don’t care about the potential consequences, I think we need to open everything up and crack on with living. I don’t care if the numbers go up. I just don’t care. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that way, but people don’t say it.

20,000 people currently have the virus in Scotland (source :Jason Leitch 26/04/2021 Radio Scotland) so if you want to get back to socialising then follow the fucking rules!

My friends mum stuck to the rules, she only went to the supermarket once a week. She’s now dead after catching Covid. She probably caught it because people like you OP thought the rules didn’t apply to them. I hope you’re proud of yourself for making sure you’re alright but sod anyone else.

Because it's the law. And we live in a society that relies on people following the laws whatever they might personally think of them. Do you pick and choose what other laws you choose to follow?

Also, from a personal point of view, my DD is waiting medical treatment which keeps getting pushed back and back due to Covid. She's in constant pain and has poor quality of life. The only thing I can do to get her seen more quickly is to make sure that I am not personally responsible for exacerbating the situation.

I would be interested to see a correlation between those who've been personally affected by Covid (directly or indirectly, like me) and whether they are following the rules or not. Discussion with friends suggest that personally impacted=more likely to follow the rules. I suspect many people who are not following the rules are doing so because they are fed up and can't see that this is still serious.

1. Because I am not selfish and do not put my own needs first without a thought for others
2. Because I do not believe I am so special that I am exempt from rules
3. Because although I don't like the restrictions, I do believe we need to work together and respect and support those whose job it is to scientifically model and plan our way out of this.
4. Because my behaviour influences those around me and so on and so one (ripple effect)
5. Because by putting up with just a little more inconvenience we just might be able to avoid a third wave and let the vaccine strategy take hold.

@SoupDragon

Because we've been in lockdown for a year

I had no idea Scotland had locked down for 12 full months.

Well, we had a brief respite over the summer but it was in no way "normal" - we never had the rule of 6 inside I don't think. Severe limits on meeting people all year. Hospitality closed mostly - some restaurants opened July/August but by September they were being asked to close at 6pm and not allowed to serve alcohol. Schools closed on 23rd March and didn't reopen until August. My secondary school age kids are not in school full time and haven't been since 18th December. Non-essential retail was closed March-July, closed again for a month in October-November, closed again on Chrtistmas Eve, won't open until 26th April at the earliest. Not supposed to be leaving our council boundaries unless for essential purposes.

That's a lockdown. We've been in it for a year.

The rules are easy to follow and no big deal

Believe me, when you've had to bury your mother and not been allowed to hug your father. When you've not been allowed to comfort your adult DD as she breaks down in front of the hearse carrying her grandfather (he died 7 months after mum and DD could not attend her grandmother's funeral because of the rules) , the rules are a very big deal.

Oh, and OP, my DS caught Covid at school because of
parents who had tested positive sent their son into school who had also tested positive.

My one son also had six periods of self isolation. School wrote out to plead with parents not to send in children who'd tested positive.
My other son had three self isolations.
We live in a high risk area, so don't have the privilege of escaping multiple cases in school.

@BashfulClam

20,000 people currently have the virus in Scotland (source :Jason Leitch 26/04/2021 Radio Scotland) so if you want to get back to socialising then follow the fucking rules!

Well there’s another good reason, so this thing fucks off and we don’t have to put up with Jason Fucking Leitch on the telly any longer!!

@BashfulClam

20,000 people currently have the virus in Scotland (source :Jason Leitch 26/04/2021 Radio Scotland) so if you want to get back to socialising then follow the fucking rules!

Where did you get your time machine to see what the situation will be in a month?

I know what the situation is in Scotland. I look at the charts and graphs. Some areas have higher cases than others. It's a big place.

"You have to scale it up - these are public health measures that operate on a large scale. One person driving 30 minutes away won’t impact spread of the virus. A million people will"

If everyone stuck to social distancing when driving 30 minutes away the impact on virus spread would be tiny. The guidance is there because a lot of people can't. They meet up with other people, go in other people's cars, go into local shops, stop and have chats standing very close together etc.

I'm travelling to visit my very sick grandmother tomorrow. That's the first time we've broken or bent a rule. I feel uneasy about it but I'm doing it anyway. I will probably also visit my parents, while I'm there, I'll probably sit inside their house by the open door. My mum cant sit outside, it's too cold for her.

After tomorrow we'll be back to following the rules pretty strictly, but I really need to see my gran this time. I know I won't see her again. We follow the rules on the whole because I don't know how else we can get past this, I don't have a better idea.

Scared of Covid!

Scared of getting it; scared of transmitting it. Particularly scared of long Covid, having suffered long-term illnesses in the past, and having no desire to get another one if I can avoid it!

Being (partially) vaccinated makes me slightly bolder, but only to the degree that I now conform strictly to the rules, rather than being way more cautious than the rules require.

[quote SpringTimeDream]@RichardMarxisinnocent

Indeed, I wish more would follow it they want to and let the rest of us do us where we adapt and amend some of the rules to suit our own circumstances.

The covid police appears still to be a thing. The tittle tattling, curtain twitching is so school bully stuff[/quote]
And you don't think your language mocks and belittles others who make different choices? How hypocritical.

@RaeRaeMama

Hi OP

I haven’t stuck to the guidelines. In the first lockdown, I met my mum for a walk outside once, I also had dinner with my partner and best friend at my mums house on my birthday during lockdown. However, I work with my mum and best friend, so as we were mixing in a working capacity I didn’t think it would be the end of the world if I saw them occasionally.

When I got to 38 weeks pregnant, I went on maternity leave, stopped seeing my best friend and saw my mum about four times before baby was born (she was almost four weeks late), I also had my shopping delivered and only went out to walk my dog everyday (I live in the countryside though and usually saw nobody). This was because I was paranoid that would catch COVID and then my home birth would be compromised.

Since having baby six weeks ago, I’ve seen my friend once, I have formed a bubble with my mums house hold (you can do this if you have a child under one).

So yeah, I’ve broken the rules. Not a lot but I have.

If I’m truly honest, although I know people who’ve had covid, I know absolutely no one who has been so poorly they needed hospital treatment. Let alone anyone that has died. So I’ve found it very difficult to believe that there is any sense in this continuing now that we have had the majority of the most vulnerable vaccinated. I don’t care about the potential consequences, I think we need to open everything up and crack on with living. I don’t care if the numbers go up. I just don’t care. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that way, but people don’t say it.

What a ridiculous argument. Do you know anyone who has died from measles? If not, why bother having your child vaccinated against it? By this logic, it’s no threat. Do you know anyone who has been in hospital with tetanus? Why not dispense with that vaccine too? Or polio? Or does it only matter if it’s you or your child who is affected?

Over 125,000 people (all of whom knew someone) are dead. Thousands, and possibly millions, will live with the effects of long covid. My mum wasn’t able to visit her beloved sister when she was dying in a care home because of this virus, or to attend her funeral.

Does nothing else matter if you haven’t seen it with your own eyes?

1. because I don’t want to give it to somebody else.
2. because I really, really, really don’t want long Covid. It’s bad enough having to deal with the fucking perimenopause.

My brother died suddenly last week (non-Covid) and I’ll be sticking to the rules despite me being the last one of my family unit left and living on my own. Thankfully I have a non-resident boyfriend in my bubble who has been able to give me a hug but I can’t do the same to my 14 year old nephew.

DH and I have been working from home for a year.

Well that’s nice for you. I don’t have the reassurance of not being a potential risk to people, which is why I’m not having people in my house or going to other people’s houses.

Just wanted to point out in some jobs you do have to declare speeding fines etc. And you have to declare them for some vetting checks so your point about them being a civil not criminal is true but doesn’t mean it won’t or can’t impact someone’s job if they get one

Because we all need to do what we can to help everyone get out of this hell. Just be careful for a little while longer....softly, softly, get business up and running again to revitalise the economy and keep the R rate under control.
Our children will be carrying a heavy debt burden as it is, and everything we can do to remobilise the economy safely will help mitigate that.
So yes atm we are complying.
Its a little more inconvenience now for longer term gain hopefully.
Given the dire infection rates in the EU, I'm more worried it'll hit us again in 3 weeks due to the SA variant.

What I can't understand, when our rates were high, France shut their borders to us, stopped trucks crossing from our side to France demanded WE test all drivers before leaving Britain.... Now their infection rates are high... why aren't we insisting they test drivers before leaving France into Britain???
Who are the mugs here picking up the cost?