To ask what the most COVID bonkers thing you did about

[Jay36]

First off this is not a COVID denier thread.

But I’m wondering what was the weird things you did at the start of the pandemic because you were worried about CV. I’ll go first;

Left my shoes outside the house as was worried about bringing the virus ‘in’ in case someone had coughed on the pavement !

Bleached the door handles daily.

Feel like I was a bit crazy now 😂😭

Worried about getting arrested because it was unclear whether swimming in the sea counted as daily exercise with my kids. There was actually a huge discussion about this locally with lots of people insisting you were only allowed to run, walk or cycle. As if swimming in the sea off a deserted beach 30 metres away from people walking along the prom could possibly be dangerous!!

My parents sprayed the soles of their shoes when entering the house... I never really understood that because it's not like they go around licking the floor or picking dropped food up off it and eating it. Even now I think they sanitise their shopping. But are quite blasé about other Covid stuff now, went out for Xmas events in pubs etc....

@VelvetChairGirl

We stayed indoors until september it was wonderful so relaxing and peaceful, we got shopping delivered from iceland.

I have always disinfected shopping when I get home, have you lot ever seen what a warehouse/storeroom looks like? how can you not clean your shopping when it may have had a rodent or cockroach sat on it and it handled by people who never wash their hands.

I have always taken my shoes off at the door I was raised that way no shoes in the house.

I have always had a distinction between indoor and outdoor clothing, changing them when I get home, the only difference is I used to put the clothing in the airing cupboard in the hall, now I dump it next to the front door and wear the same thing for weeks because thers not enough room by the door for multiple outfits.

You don't change your outdoor clothing?

You actually wear the same pair of trousers/top/jumper for weeks without washing them??

I’m curious

Would you do all those again knowing what you know now?

@gettingolderandgrumpy

I remember alternating my run with taking my dc out for daily exercise. I did this for a couple of weeks before thinking this is crazy my going out twice for exercise is not going to cause the spread of covid . I think it was a combination of doing the right thing and worried people would notice , I’m not sure why I’d give no shits now .

I did this too until my dh told me I was batshit. I used to run 3 - 4 times a week, but I was really enjoying the daily family walk that we were doing so I stopped running so I could do that instead. I was so worried about not breaking the rules but dh told me not to stop being ridiculous. I run early and we live in the back end of beyond so I rarely see another soul. In the end I went back to doing both on my running days but it did take a couple of months of him nagging.

To be honest, I still do the hand sanitising and the cleaning of trolly handles and I don’t think I’ll ever stop now as it’s such a habit. But I no longer wear the vinyl gloves.

Sprayed all my post with sanitiser and didn't open it for 48 hours.

@MistressoftheDarkSide

I find it really interesting that a few people shared my fear of "breaking rules" as much as or more than the virus itself - even though I was following rules to a large degree I had quite a bit of paranoia about coming into conflict with authority figures - I was quite pragmatic about the virus itself.

From early May, I was absolutely more concerned about being seen to be breaking the rules, than the virus itself. It was pretty clear by then that the risk to me and my close family was very low, and that meeting other family members who had been nowhere for 2 months was very low risk. Luckily my parents felt the same so we met them outside.

I hardly did any of this stuff. I'm not saying that in any kind of smug way.
I didn't stock up on food or anything. I don't know why, but I do know if the end of days did arrive id be fucked.
I did worry at one point about getting food as I don't drive and couldn't get a supermarket delivery but in the end they started doing those boxes that contained the basics and my corner shop never really ran low.
I think on balance I'm too blasé.

@Ireallycantthinkofagoodone, I wondered were Dr SJ was getting her information from. She was still telling people not to get health support until their lips went blue, even after we knew that probably meant death.

@Isntitironic1, people on the shielding list got them. I got one that told me to close all of my windows, then about a week later I could take my bins out. They were from the government, I got Emails as well as texts.

I'm ECV, but couldn't shield because my DD is a key worker and I'm her childcare. It meant going on buses. I had a hospital appointment early March 2020 and me and my consultant were horrified at the government's ignoring of the rising deaths across Europe. People's stupidity was astounding, including thinking that there was 1 hour a day exercise rule, which still seems to be the case. Also people thinking that it would be over in a few months. I did some of what is on the thread because as ECV it was advised and rightly so, we didn't know what we were dealing with and we didn't have treatments. I wondered why people didn't take notice of the science and why young, healthy people were so terrified to the point that their children suffered once we knew who was dying.

In first lockdown DS was working as an HCA caring for patients who turned out to be COVID+ without any PPE. I figured if we caught it, it would be from him not the Tesco shopping. We've still not had a positive case in our house despite best efforts.

@stairway

GiveUsAcoffee it sounds absolutely bonkers now but nicotine has been shown to have an effect on covid infection. I worked in a hospital during the first wave and one of my previously healthy colleagues caught covid and died and I was willing to try anything to protect myself and family. I don’t recommend it though!

I heard that, and assumed it was because the virus preferred nice clean lungs.

For me it was trying to work full time and homeschool two kids as a lone parent and having to move house on my own.

The feeling of failing at everything was pretty awful. If lockdown happened again I would not prioritise the bullshit work my kids school set them. It was worksheets with no real value but they acted like my kid was going to fail at life if they weren’t completed by a set time.

@Toanewstart22
I’m curious

Would you do all those again knowing what you know now?

Yes!

@Changeforthis79

Participated in the enforced clapping!

Glad to say I never went this far...

It wasn't 'enforced'

I did most of these! In my defence we had discovered we were expecting our longed for baby in the days leading up to lockdown so were terrified generally of anything risking that.

I followed the rules to the letter . I couldn't go to the beach as it was rammed and policed, luckily we have a garden but the change of scenery would have lifted my mental health.
Stopping my partner picking up random rubbish to put in a nearby bin as 'you don't know who'd touched it'
Shopping and not knowing if you'd get any food to make proper meals then the non shoppers in the house fucking snacking on the bits I managed to get
Contemplating ripping up the dog towels to use instead of loo roll
Shopping for other people and almost shouting that its not all for me. The feeling of having to justify everything you did

@MajorCarolDanvers

Wearing clothes to press the button at pedestrian crossings was about it for me.

I hope this is a typo or were you naked at pedestrian crossings before covid 🤣

Held my breath any time I had to walk past someone

This! I still do it now though.

I wish I took more photos of our area. Such a major part of modern history, my grandchildren will be learning about this in school in much the same way as I learned about ww2.

I used to wash my shopping. And turn away from people if I passed them on the pavement (and hold my breath).

In my own defense I lived in terror of catching covid between the first lockdown and the second (caught it March 2020 and was so, so ill I just didnt think I could survive a second bout). Catching it again in Dec 2020 and having it mildly really helped my mental health.

@Toanewstart22

I’m curious

Would you do all those again knowing what you know now?

No (to washing shopping), because we now know that surface to surface transmission is not really how covid spreads. If Id known then what I know now Id have isolated my entire family from beginning March 2020 and avoided catching covid the first time - its cost me my health.

It was a very odd time.

I can't say I did anything really beyond following the guidelines in the main. But we did have a fairly nice time of the first lockdown though in terms of nice weather, lovely garden and understanding work. I stopped reading/ watching/ listening to the news very early on which really really helped my mental health and meant j had no idea about quarantining post or wiping down shopping so never did those things, though that's not my style generally anyway so not sure I would have, though who knows, it was a very weird time!

We had a contamination room too for DH to change (also hospital worker!).

To be fair, all of these things were the guidelines from the NHS at the time - as others have said, fomite transmission was thought to be dangerous. It’s not that these were extreme behaviours but that they were advised because we didn’t know much and didn’t have vaccines. We were being sensible, not crazy - but they were certainly crazy times.

I cried over toilet paper. So stupid.
Disinfected all the shopping.
Changed and washed all my clothes that I'd worn outdoors.
Disinfected the soles of shoes. We had a dettol spray bottle by the front door.
Booked pcr tests when anyone had the slightest cold or flu symptoms.
Crapped myself driving to my mums to drop off shopping.

Would I do the same again?
I wouldn't be so worried about social distancing outside as that is very low risk. But before I was vaccinated, yes I would do the same again. I am ECV and when I did catch it after being vaccinated, I was pretty ill, although not hospitalised. It took me six weeks to recover. I suspect I would have been hospitalised if I had caught it before being vaccinated. Although who knows?
I would also still have been super careful before visiting my parents. My dad was recovering from major surgery and any bad virus could have killed him off. He is now fairly healthy and vaccinated, but back then could easily have died of covid and been one of those deaths some people dismissed as - well he was already very ill.

Learning to breastfeed my newborn whilst homeschooling 3 older dcs all with live lessons on webcams. All 3 needed support as have varying degrees of learning difficulties. Dp was working long hours as a key worker and I had to try and do my best by all 4 dc. I felt completely torn between all 4. I can honestly say it was one of the most stressful times, trying to stop my newborn from crying so my other dcs could hear their teachers etc, trying to dodge the webcams whilst trying to get my newborn to latch. Bleeding heavily postpartum and not even having the time to shower.

I feel like I was robbed of that precious newborn bubble. I ended up with awful pnd and on medication.