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AIBU?

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Original poster

What if everyone in the world isolated for the same three weeks....

345 replies

Rissole · 02/12/2021 14:32

.....or whatever time period was deemed appropriate. Wouldn't that rid us of Covid once and for all as it would die out?

All we would have to do is get enough food in for the time period and stay in. A collective whole world self isolation. Job done!

OP posts:
WonderfulYou · 02/12/2021 19:17

In theory yes it would probably work.
In practical terms it would be impossible to carry out.

Obviously doctors etc still need to work but also criminals would have a field day knowing that police officers are having 3 weeks off.

That is exactly what the lockdowns were for - everyone who could stay at home were to do so and only key workers go out to work. It definitely worked to an extent but not enough.

VikingOnTheFridge · 02/12/2021 19:17

@PiddleOfPuppies

I suspect the OP is not prepared to spend weeks in the dark, with no way of connecting with the outside world (no mobile, landline, broadband, television), no running water, no sewerage, no power... never mind not making a single financial transaction. She's also made plans not to die, fall ill or get burgled.

It's very naive to think the world would just stop for 2 weeks and restart again in the snap of two fingers. Large machines don't stop and restart like a car engine, particularly without any power.
At least it's good preparation for nuclear war. I studied Brother in the Land at school and decided I wouldn't want to survive that scenario, I'd be out in the blast.

Me neither!
XenoBitch · 02/12/2021 19:19

At least it's good preparation for nuclear war. I studied Brother in the Land at school and decided I wouldn't want to survive that scenario, I'd be out in the blast

If there is a real threat of an atom bomb being dropped, I would be heading right for it. I would not want to live in the fall out either.
Same with mandatory vaccines. I don't want to live in that world either.

Atemyhat · 02/12/2021 19:24

Good idea in theory but in practice it ould never and could never happen.

flamebuoy · 02/12/2021 19:28

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XenoBitch · 02/12/2021 19:30

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JustLyra · 02/12/2021 19:32

Even if you could equip essential workplaces with showers, sleeping areas and food areas it still wouldn't work.

Even if schools and nurseries could be set up so that children and staff stayed there (and we ignored the trauma it would cause) it still wouldn't work.

Every single time the isolation had to be broken you'd have to reset the clock - so every heart attack, every birth, every fire, every flood, every breach by a covid denier, every protest, and so on and so forth.

Every time that lockdown was breached worldwide, then the counter would have to reset.

It's impossible.

flamebuoy · 02/12/2021 19:35

@XenoBitch ThanksI'm not underestimating it for a second...I believe it! I'm telling OP because it's not possible

Helpstopthepain · 02/12/2021 19:36

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Returnoftheowl · 02/12/2021 19:40

How on earth would this work?! No matter how much of a "heroic effort" you suggest it is completely unworkable.

What are people reliant on carers coming in supposed to do? Let the carer pick their favourite client out of all the ones they visit, move in with them and let the others just rot for 3 weeks?

Where are the thousands of people who work at my local hospital supposed to sleep?

I'm in the emergency services. How would we get petrol to go out to jobs? Or would we just take 3 weeks off? Your having a heart attack/your partner has beaten you black and blue/your house is on fire? Sorry, call back in 3 weeks time, fingers crossed you haven't died in the meantime.

What do you plan to do with the children of people who you have deemed need to sleep at work? I know lots of couples at work who work opposite shifts for childcare reasons. Abandon their children for 3 weeks, or do they have to move in with us so our work place as well?
My workplace isn't set up for 70+ people plus their children. We're never all there at the same time, bring the nature of shift work, we don't have the space or the facilities for that.

There's such resistance to even wearing masks that there is no way this is going to fly. A total lockdown is impossible. As demonstrated in the previous lockdowns people will find exemptions or excuses as to why the rules don't apply to them.

JojobaFromOctober · 02/12/2021 19:42

Even if you thought this was theoretically a good idea, which it isn't, if your plan is dependent on 100% global compliance and 99% global compliance will ruin the entire thing you surely must see that this in itself makes it a bad plan. There's not a law on earth that is never broken.

Returnoftheowl · 02/12/2021 19:42

@VikingOnTheFridge

Why are you not bothering to engage with the points about the billion plus desperately poor people in the world OP?
Because it doesn't fit with her narrative. She has no answers so is choosing to inform the vast major of people who are pointing out this is unworkable.
jupitermars1345 · 02/12/2021 19:48

It's impossible

thewhatsit · 02/12/2021 19:49

I feel like it would be like that horrible show The Purge. We’d all have to settle in for a few weeks and just pray that no one nearby tries to take advantage of the global shutdown and go looting or become very violent. We’d probably all be boarding up our windows and hoping for the best.

Everyone always cites healthcare workers and obviously they still need to work - heart attacks won’t stop, people will still give birth, etc etc - but there are so many people required to make the world we know work.. the national grid, broadband, water supply etc. I guess it could work but there would be a huge cost in terms of human life.

VikingOnTheFridge · 02/12/2021 19:55

@thewhatsit

I feel like it would be like that horrible show The Purge. We’d all have to settle in for a few weeks and just pray that no one nearby tries to take advantage of the global shutdown and go looting or become very violent. We’d probably all be boarding up our windows and hoping for the best.

Everyone always cites healthcare workers and obviously they still need to work - heart attacks won’t stop, people will still give birth, etc etc - but there are so many people required to make the world we know work.. the national grid, broadband, water supply etc. I guess it could work but there would be a huge cost in terms of human life.

Agree with all, except the bit about how it could work. It couldn't. The sheer number of people it would take to enforce, even if everyone who has capacity to agree to it did so, would doom it to failure.
Skyll · 02/12/2021 20:10

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SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 02/12/2021 20:12

We just need to robots to step up so we can put it into action.

Lazy fucking robots

FatCatThinCat · 02/12/2021 20:14

Would all the animals have to isolate too? No point isolating all the humans if Mr Tiddles can still be a superspreader.

Blossomtoes · 02/12/2021 20:16

We don’t need to get rid of covid. It will join other viruses that we no longer notice - Spanish flu killed millions and apparently it’s still in circulation.

thenightsky · 02/12/2021 20:24

@thewhatsit

I feel like it would be like that horrible show The Purge. We’d all have to settle in for a few weeks and just pray that no one nearby tries to take advantage of the global shutdown and go looting or become very violent. We’d probably all be boarding up our windows and hoping for the best.

Everyone always cites healthcare workers and obviously they still need to work - heart attacks won’t stop, people will still give birth, etc etc - but there are so many people required to make the world we know work.. the national grid, broadband, water supply etc. I guess it could work but there would be a huge cost in terms of human life.

I suspect there would be more deaths from other causes in that three weeks than there would ever be from covid in three weeks.
leafygarden42 · 02/12/2021 20:32

She has no answers so is choosing to inform the vast major of people who are pointing out this is unworkable

That might be because the whole thing was a joke. It isn't actually a serious proposal - I'm astounded at the number of people taking the OP as being serious.!! And having a right good laugh about it.

And so many getting 'worked up' about it - hilarious Grin Grin

XenoBitch · 02/12/2021 20:35

@leafygarden42

She has no answers so is choosing to inform the vast major of people who are pointing out this is unworkable

That might be because the whole thing was a joke. It isn't actually a serious proposal - I'm astounded at the number of people taking the OP as being serious.!! And having a right good laugh about it.

And so many getting 'worked up' about it - hilarious Grin Grin

Really? I have seen other people on social media be deadly serious when they suggest similar.
GettingItOutThere · 02/12/2021 20:43

sadly unrealistic but if they shut the flood gates/stopped all planes etc like new zealand did, our rate may stand a chance of going down (not going). Then did a 2 week lockdown again/masks etc

they should have done that originally though ^

AutumnLeaves21 · 02/12/2021 20:52

What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

WomanStanleyWoman · 02/12/2021 20:54

@Rissole

If you described what happened in any war in any part of the globe by the terms described on this thread, it would have seemed an impossible task too but wars are still fought.

With super levels of organisation and people helping each other, I believe it would be possible in 90% of the cases. It would be for three weeks not six years like WW2.

Now I’m more convinced than ever that this is a wind-up. Surely no one would be daft enough to compare a war to a worldwide blanket lockdown. For a start, when a nation fights a war, at least the people pulling together are all on the same side. It’s slightly different when you want 200 countries to pull together - including those that actually ARE at war with each other, or won’t maintain diplomatic relations with or even recognise the existence of the other.