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 😂😭

*didn't go out much during lockdown..once the shops were open, I was first in line to get back! Funnily enough I have never gotten covid despite living in London..I am not sure it's the mask wearing, I think I am just lucky.

Remember when McDonald's was closed and when it reopened everyone was so excited? I think even I was excited and i don't even like McDonald's.

Half expecting someone to say "nah, that never happened - McDonald's never closed" as it seems so strange!

@MiddleAgedKick it depends on the outlet I think..some were open for deliveries. I remember during lockdown planning my walk so that I could takeaway from the McDonald's in archway...this was 2 tube stations away from me so I walked a long way. It turned out you could only order via deliveroo (with the requisite delivery charge) even if literally standing outside..I was very disappointed... I then took the tube home cos I couldn't face the walk home without Macdonald's and then ordered it from another closer outlet via deliveroo...

Remember when McDonald's was closed and when it reopened everyone was so excited? I think even I was excited and i don't even like McDonald's.

Haha @MiddleAgedKick you’ve just reminded me that my husband and I became obsessed with trying to recreate McDonalds Sausage and Egg McMuffins at home in the first lockdown. We probably have them once a year but we became so obsessed it their absence that anyone would think we had them every week!

Hehehe yes, I remember a friend making "KFC" and almost poisoning herself with undercooked chicken! Weird how the absence of it made everyone want it

@MiddleAgedKick

Remember when McDonald's was closed and when it reopened everyone was so excited? I think even I was excited and i don't even like McDonald's.

Half expecting someone to say "nah, that never happened - McDonald's never closed" as it seems so strange!

The queues were insane. We often get a McDonald's when we are finished late at the ponies and need something quick but was a couple of weeks after re opening before it was quicker picking up a drive through than it was going home and making something instead

I never washed shopping and never changed clothes/isolated them. My work uniform did go straight in the washing machine and I always have a shower straight from work anyway ( hospital ward). My very vulnerable dad did shield and wipe his shopping down. But covid even after vaccination is a huge risk to him.

I went to aldi once on a Sunday for the NHS early start thing but it was busier than a normal visit. Never used my badge for going to the front of queues etc though.

Did get annoyed at people on walks because it was so busy on the local scenic routes and people seemed to want the whole path width and not move to the side etc when walking past. But that annoys me in normal times too.

@MiddleAgedKick

Remember when McDonald's was closed and when it reopened everyone was so excited? I think even I was excited and i don't even like McDonald's.

Half expecting someone to say "nah, that never happened - McDonald's never closed" as it seems so strange!

Strangely I do remember the day it closed, maybe a week before the first lockdown? DS and his GF were queuing for ages to get our last one and got served just before it closed!

They needed staff outside directing traffic at our local mcdonalds. Right turns into the drive through were banned.

Unfortunately it was a major road and caused massive tailbacks for people who needed to use the road.

McDonald's also promised free food for school age dc at lunch times to help with the financial hit of kids being home then duly closed a day or 2 later. Dd is still bitter about this now 😆

I refused to eat a takeaway pizza out of the box and insisted it had to go on a plate. That happened once before I came to my senses. I also worried about sitting in my garden as it's only 8' wide and the neighbours could be the other side of the fence. Again I got over it pretty quickly as I wasn't sitting indoors with the neighbours enjoying the garden!

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

I refused to eat a takeaway pizza out of the box and insisted it had to go on a plate. That happened once before I came to my senses. I also worried about sitting in my garden as it's only 8' wide and the neighbours could be the other side of the fence. Again I got over it pretty quickly as I wasn't sitting indoors with the neighbours enjoying the garden!

You reminded me that I remicrowaved the takeaway pizza to nuke the germs away!

Clearly the “once a week” instruction was unrealistic for families without a car.

Was there actually a once a week instruction though?
I mean there may well have been, it seems like another life.
But I have no car, couldn't get shopping delivered as usual so went almost daily to local shops.
I remember the instructions being you were allowed out for essentials and exercise.
I do think a lot of people made it harder for themselves with extra restrictions. Although I can totally understand why as has already been explained.

I think the once a week thing was just another made up 'rule' along with the one hour exercise

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

They needed staff outside directing traffic at our local mcdonalds. Right turns into the drive through were banned.

Unfortunately it was a major road and caused massive tailbacks for people who needed to use the road.

A couple near me have had extra signage, once has even had a "keep clear" painted on one of the roundabouts on the way in.

I never washed shopping or anything like that. I figured if it was THAT easy to catch, I had no chance of avoiding it no matter what I did.

Tbf to me, I also didn't wash shopping. I did act as if I was handling toxic waste though, when I had to collect some trainers from my dc's closed school during the first lockdown. Went with about 5 plastic bags, hand sanitiser, and was very cautious about it all. Quarantined the trainers outside as well for about a week (luckily it was summertime, and no rain)

I kept DS off school for 2 months despite schools being open throughout here. I think I also did most of the stuff other posters have confessed to.

In our defence, this was a new virus and we didn't know what we were dealing with. Better to be over cautious and wrong than under cautious and wrong.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

I refused to eat a takeaway pizza out of the box and insisted it had to go on a plate. That happened once before I came to my senses. I also worried about sitting in my garden as it's only 8' wide and the neighbours could be the other side of the fence. Again I got over it pretty quickly as I wasn't sitting indoors with the neighbours enjoying the garden!

I remember a thread from a poster who was really upset because someone was tending to their plants next to their fence and the poster had walked right past them and only noticed they were there when the person started coughing. They were very upset that this person wasn’t 2m away and thought the covid germs could come over the top of the fence to them.

Disinfecting door handles constantly.

Being absolutely petrified of being stopped by the police when taking my post sacks to the post office every day, which I had to do as it was my job, and I already worked from home. I was convinced if I got stopped they would say it wasn't a legitimate reason for going out.
Making DS change out his uniform immediately as soon as he got home in case it was contaminated.
Washing my hands as soon as I got home, even if I'd just been for a walk and not seen anyone or touched anything. I still wash my hands as soon as I get in if I've been in contact with objects or people.
Sanitising or washing my hands 50 times while putting the shopping delivery away and then disinfecting all the cupboards I had touched during the process.

My husband sold something on EBay and the guy popped round to collect the item and pay in cash (I assume this must have just been before the lockdown started but I don't remember). We "quarantined" the money in the electric meter cupboard for two weeks. I have no idea why we used the electric meter cupboard? But there you go.

Also wearing gloves everywhere I went then double wrapping the gloves before putting them in the bin, shower, washing all my clothes every time I left the house and came home.

At the very beginning of the first lockdown I was scared to even walk round the block.

• Sanitised any surfaces, handles, keys, etc I or food delivery people touched
• left my courier packages in the porch, having sanitised them first, for a day or so before taking them into the house
• wearing latex gloves as well as mask when we were able to go food shopping or in rare public transport travel
• washing food/food packages before putting them away
• hanging my coat in the porch and spraying with disinfectant before coming indoors

-actually did buy goggles to wear with my mask, latex gloves and spectacles, though I never got round them wearing them...

I'm so glad things have moved on from those scary days - though I still try and stay as safe as possible, including LFT testing regularly 🌹

@PossiblyDreaming

My dsis went (and still is) ridiculously OTT about it. She didn’t leave her house or garden for over 6 months, despite no one in her family being vulnerable. Her dd was 2 when it started and after 6 months in the house and garden she had forgotten how to run. Dsis tested positive in November and isolated from the family despite still exclusively breastfeeding her 4mo. Her dh cut a sort of gloryhole flap in their bedroom door and would bring and hold the baby to the flap so dsis could flop her tit through it to breastfeed without worrying about breathing on anyone. Both her and her dh were previously very normal, sensible people but this whole thing has sent them absolutely crackers. Everyone has tried to speak to them about how OTT they’re being but they just think anyone not acting like them is being grossly irresponsible. It’s bizarre and really sad.

This wins the thread. I am openmouthed in disbelief!

@liveforsummer

I think the once a week thing was just another made up 'rule' along with the one hour exercise

I don't think the once a week shopping was a real thing - I can remember having to make several trips out to various mini-supermarkets near me to try to get basic groceries when stocks were low.

I don't think the once a week shopping was a real thing

I agree, along with the policing of baskets to check whether the items people were buying were ‘essential’. People tearing their hair out because they chucked a tub of olives in the basket with their bread and milk or something and worrying that it wasn’t really an ‘essential’ purchase.

The restrictions were hard for everyone but some people definitely made up their own imaginary rules on top of the existing ones!