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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to go out for a walk when I'm supposed to be self isolating

189 replies

whatisforteamum · 07/08/2021 17:50

Last week we discovered someone in my household has coronavirus.
Dd is staying downstairs as she was here for one night that became 10 days.!
Apart from the usual financial hit it is a small house.
Dh has been his usual moody self and dd has been quite hostile too.
Today we were getting along with some sorting out of old school bits and memorabilia when dd started swearing at me.
I have zero tolerance for this and told her so.Then dh started on about I have a small photo of my late df in the living room while he doesn't have any of his parents.Got a bit nasty and I said I would remove it.
Understandably I'm upset trapped in my room.
It's day 8 of isolation .I live near fields I can walk in avoiding people.
I'm double jabbed with a negative lateral flow test which I've done daily.
Surely I can go for a quick walk.?

OP posts:
TheGenealogist · 07/08/2021 19:58

Ah but I'm not advocating making your own rules, @Wobblelmyheadplease. I'm advocating safe breaking of the current rules.

AbsolutelyPatsy · 07/08/2021 20:01

i advised my dm of 86 to go out for a walk.
being indoors while isolating is unhealthy for so long

how on earth did they manage it in Italy/Spain etc

rustyspoon45 · 07/08/2021 20:01

Some of the responses here are batshit.

Even if op was COVID positive, what risk is she creating by walking alone in an empty field? She's not talking about going to Tesco, it's an open, outdoor, empty space!!!

I have abided by lockdown rules fully but the time has come to exercise some common sense ffs. What is the actual risk in this situation?

SusieBob · 07/08/2021 20:02

Go. Transmission outdoors is vanishingly rare and if you know nobody is going to be about the risk is exactly zero.

Di11y · 07/08/2021 20:03

With the photo surely the better thing is to get a photo of his parents rather then remove yours.

Personally if it's been 5 days I'd go for a walk in fields. They're considering reducing it to 5 as something like 98% of cases come out in that time. And the pilots are daily LFTs which you've been doing.

Eilatan2018 · 07/08/2021 20:04

I’d say do it. Mental health is as important as physical

User5827372728 · 07/08/2021 20:09

@Eilatan2018

Yes about yourself. But I wouldn’t say my mental health is more important than a strangers physical health

tsmainsqueeze · 07/08/2021 20:11

Go for a walk!
Boris would !

eightyfourandahalf · 07/08/2021 20:11

On MN it's always "an empty field", with no soul around for at least 50 miles...When you see how crowded this country is, I'd love to know where all these "empty fields for miles" might be Grin

DismantledKing · 07/08/2021 20:12

@eightyfourandahalf

On MN it's always "an empty field", with no soul around for at least 50 miles...When you see how crowded this country is, I'd love to know where all these "empty fields for miles" might be Grin
Seen many crowded fields? They do tend to be mostly empty.
XingMing · 07/08/2021 20:14

Throughout all the lockdowns, I have taken XingDog out for a daily walk. We live in a small village in a rural area which has had very few cases of COVID. In your position, I would go for a walk and keep my distance. I have chatted to friends, neighbours and complete strangers as I would normally, but have kept 2m apart, which is fairly normal when talking to any acquaintance. My social life has not suffered a great deal, and most people have been very happy to have a little contact with someone/anyone outwith their family circle.

TheGenealogist · 07/08/2021 20:14

@eightyfourandahalf

On MN it's always "an empty field", with no soul around for at least 50 miles...When you see how crowded this country is, I'd love to know where all these "empty fields for miles" might be Grin
When you see how crowded London and the South East is, you mean.

I could drive 10 minutes up the road and not see a soul for hours. And we're in suburban Glasgow.

twelly · 07/08/2021 20:15

I think the whole system is confused and irrational - I can't see the point of the isolation when you are fully vaccinated and have a negative flow test. I think going for a walk on your own is fine and given the other actions that the PM seems to be following it is far more reserved that what seems to be allowed

SusieBob · 07/08/2021 20:17

@eightyfourandahalf

On MN it's always "an empty field", with no soul around for at least 50 miles...When you see how crowded this country is, I'd love to know where all these "empty fields for miles" might be Grin
You do realise that
definitelysurethatimnotsure · 07/08/2021 20:19

Id go in your situation 100%

NautaOcts · 07/08/2021 20:19

Empty fields? Do it
Shopping centre? Maybe not

pollylocketpickedapocket · 07/08/2021 20:20

@Wobblelmyheadplease

No, of course you can't do this!

I sympathise as we isolated for 10 days when my DS had it and I'm used to walking 12,000 steps every day but I bought a 2nd hand treadmill off a friend (who dropped it on the driveway) in desperation. Would never have gone out.

Ohhh aren’t you a hero?
IsabellesMissingSock · 07/08/2021 20:20

I would definitely go for a walk in your circumstances.

SusieBob · 07/08/2021 20:21

Boris and co clearly don't give a fuck anymore so why should anyone else?

Hullabaloowho · 07/08/2021 20:23

Go!! I've not read all the comments but having given birth to by first baby the week before the first lockdown I look back with such regret at how rigidly I stuck to the rules. Looking back it seems utterly absurd that I was only allowed to take my baby (who would only nap on the move) out once per day for an hour, and I wasn't allowed to sit down at any point to feed him. It had a massive impact on his sleep and in turn my mental health. No-one would think this was reasonable now, even if the death rate and case numbers soared.

If I had posted to ask about going out more frequently at the time I would have berated on Mumsnet about how my selfishness would kill entire sectors of the population and endanger the NHS.

The thing about risk is that it's not black and white but a scale. Unfortunately this doesn't work for government messaging to the general population which is why we 'need' these rules but in your case the risk of you passing covid on to anyone in these circumstances is miniscule, especially if you wear a mask.

oblada · 07/08/2021 20:25

People are seriously weird. Most of us bend some rules at one point or another, let's be honest. But suddenly when it comes to completely nonsensical rules due to covid we should all respect them to the letter even if they are completely bonkers? In your shoes op I'd definitely be going for a walk. You are putting nobody at risk in doing so so im rly not sure what people are getting worked up about. I'm pretty rule abiding but not that keen on following rules that are plainly useless in the current context.

DGFB · 07/08/2021 20:25

Of course you should go. Who are you going to infect?! And in two weeks this rule is meaningless anyway. It’s arbitrary

gogohm · 07/08/2021 20:28

Dd was self isolating last week, when they called she asked them if she could still exercise (she runs) and they told her that was fine as long as she took a lateral glow first and was with her household and didn't go in anywhere. The fact she's military might be the reason, but they seemed rather relaxed about it and said if she got a call to say it was essential exercise

Eilatan2018 · 07/08/2021 20:29

[quote User5827372728]@Eilatan2018

Yes about yourself. But I wouldn’t say my mental health is more important than a strangers physical health[/quote]
That’s your feelings and that’s fine. I do feel my mental health is as important as someone else’s physical health, but wouldn’t put someone directly at risk and OP wouldn’t be…

The field is empty, she isn’t even positive.. what’s the issue? If it makes her feel better, when let’s face it we don’t know her mental wellness right now, I personally can’t see an issue.

This pandemic is horrific, I’m not denying that but the rules have ruined lives of many people not just the illness itself.

Planty13 · 07/08/2021 20:31

YABU. I guess everyone is making their own judgement calls. Personally I would go for a walk if I was meant to be isolating if I have been in contact with someone but not if I LIVED with them. That’s too far IMO.