To think some people are ‘enjoying’ the pandemic

[Flynnqwer]

I’ve noticed an attitude amongst some people where they’re nothing short of praying for a new, more lethal, variant.

I’ve noticed it amongst people I work with and people I do a hobby with. Any discussion about going back to our workplace (we can work from home but not easily or particularly effectively) once the Government ends the restrictions on waiting from home, or back to our hobby in real life instead of on Zoom (the hobby is controlled by a central board who are following the WFH advice until it is lifted) are met with cries of ‘No! We can’t do that! It’s dangerous!’ and it anyone points out that, thankfully, it looks like the vaccination programme is working and Omicron is less severe, they come back with ‘but what if there’s a more lethal strain that appears and kills millions?’

My workplace has one element which has legally got to be done in person. I have had emails today from managers begging us to cancel said work thing and do it online. We cannot do it on line lawfully (it’s along the lines of witnessing signatures). We have told them no, we must go into the building for an hour to fulfil this function. They are saying that that is breaking the working from home directive, that it’s unsafe, and what if a deadly variant is discovered? Then we’d have to find a way around the law.

AIBU that some people are actively hoping that the situation worsens and we are locked back down? Why would anyone want this to happen?

Boris has literally removed the legislative societal handcuffs, whether businesses and people will revert back to pre-pandemic behavior remains to be seen.
The introvert vs extrovert argument is a smokescreen.
The ingenuity of some people will have led them to think of new avenues of participation in society, transforming difficulties into opportunities. Many creative people have done this; many people have mastered working from home and will have revolutionized their participation in society, certainly socially.
We've had to adapt, and we quite like our 'New' life.

@Hrpuffnstuff1

Boris has literally removed the legislative societal handcuffs, whether businesses and people will revert back to pre-pandemic behavior remains to be seen. The introvert vs extrovert argument is a smokescreen. The ingenuity of some people will have led them to think of new avenues of participation in society, transforming difficulties into opportunities. Many creative people have done this; many people have mastered working from home and will have revolutionized their participation in society, certainly socially. We've had to adapt, and we quite like our 'New' life.

I consider myself slightly introverted. My personal feeling on people liking or wanting to carry on with their isolated lives is that it is going to store up a shedload of mental health issues in time.

Here's a funny story for you... For the first time ever, I actually got told off for wearing a mask! I was paying for some petrol, and the attendant kept insisting he couldn't hear me, and could I please remove my mask to tell him which pump I was paying for! I told him I was only wearing it because his sign in the window asked me to. I thought that was really funny, because I hate wearing the bl things anyway! That must be a sign that the pandemic is winding down, if ever there was...

I've seen some very neurotic behaviour recently at my company concerning work technology etiquette: people have had actual face to face arguments about whether its more appropriate to use WhatsApp, email, text or your diary to let team mates know they are going to be away from their desk for a period of time.

That's fascinating, @thepeopleversuswork. I haven't really experienced any obvious changes in behaviour among the people I know IRL, but thinking about it I'm not sure most of their circumstances have changed that much either - most of us have continued to work outside of the home throughout except during the two main lockdowns, apart from one or two people who were WFH anyway before the pandemic. Because of my job a high proportion of my friends are teachers, who I guess are maybe a bit more predisposed to being 'people people' to start with, and therefore less likely to get sucked as deep into internet rabbitholes (as well as simply lacking the time to get too involved with stuff like that). So it's certainly not normalised to me and I find what you're describing equally bizarre, but perhaps I'm not getting a representative view.

I don't know about it originating on the internet as such, because the concept of antisocial shut-ins isn't particularly modern - it seems to be a feature of gothic literature, for example. The internet has made that lifestyle easier to attain for the people who are inclined towards it, and also facilitated communication between those people and the non-recluses. In the past people who rarely left their homes were probably quite 'out of sight, out of mind' because they weren't interacting with anyone at all, whereas now they could be colleagues who you 'talk' to every day via email or whatsapp. So I think it's a case of both the number and the visibility of such people having increased with technology.

I also think it would be interesting to know how many people have a similarly reclusive or isolated lifestyle but without the pathologically antisocial side. People whose work requires them to go without talking to anyone for extended periods or who live in very remote areas must also spend a lot of time alone, but presumably they're not all hiding behind bookcases every time the doorbell rings. So there must be something else beyond just isolation that causes people to feel this way, but I'm really not sure what.

Yes! Or I’m a shop worker

Of course you are not being unreasonable.
Loads of people have enjoyed loads of aspects of the pandemic.

The virtue signalling and general mithering / medium-to-loud outbreaks of ‘I’m being mildly inconvenienced’, are done to mask inward delight and self satisfaction about being paid the same for not fulfilling the same role as before.

A great many businesspeople enjoyed massive financial perks. I know of two businesspeople who took huge loans they weren’t at all in need of because the terms were just so attractive.

Im so jealous of the wfh crowd! Im a carer worked through several outbreaks and I wish I had a software engineering brain instead lol

I think a lot of people have become really anxious about returning to normal. Not just because of covid but because those introverts among us or anxious people actually really struggle with the normal day to day.

@Caro1978

I think a lot of people have become really anxious about returning to normal. Not just because of covid but because those introverts among us or anxious people actually really struggle with the normal day to day.

I can see that, but it’s the attempts to stop those of us who aren’t introverted or anxious from going back to a semblance of normality which is grating.

@Flynnqwer I totally agree, and to make matters worse, they put a spin on it to make you feel guilty, as if by wanting to go back to normal, we're being selfish and endangering everyone else's lives! So you're attacked for just wanting your life back!

@Tzimi Yes, definitely. The accusations that you’re not being careful enough, don’t realise we’re ‘still in the middle of a pandemic’ are rolled out.

Had it again this week with a colleague saying how irresponsible it was to lift WFH guidance when our town has X amount of cases and then the has-to-be-done-face to face work should be put off. ‘How many in the hospital?’ I asked. ‘Well, er, none’.

It is starting to feel like restrictions are because of anxiety rather than actual risk

I think a PP hit the nail on the head when she said that some people (like me) were happy to follow restrictions when it was necessary to stop thousands dying and to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed. When those threats are removed, we want the restrictions to be removed too.

Others, however, view the threat as Covid existing at all, and want restrictions to exist whilst Covid does. Of course, Covid is always going to exist now, but people are struggling to come to terms with the idea that restrictions can’t exist forever too.

Many people have enjoyed WFH. If it works for both employer and employee then it's a win win and will continue.

If the employer wants people back at their desk but they don't want to go then they need to resign and look for a full time WFH job.

I don't want to hear people saying how unfair it is that they've been called back in.

@Flynnqwer I think also that a lot of people don't realise how much the situation has changed now. The predominant strain is Omicron, which is easily transmissible, but causes only mild disease. However, infection with it produces very good immunity to all the strains. This coupled with the fact that most people are vaccinated anyway, should be good news, surely? You can't stop it spreading, really, because it's so easy to catch- but would you even want to, seeing as it will help to give us herd immunity?

This coupled with the fact that most people are vaccinated anyway, should be good news, surely?

It should be good news. But, unfathomably for me, for a fair minority it is bad news because it means there is no good justification for restrictions and trying to force everyone to live their life on Zoom.

I know it's late at night. Some of us have been working - yes - working as in a Keyworker role. We do not have a choice - working from home is not an option when you are caring for and looking after someone else's nearest and dearest. We have to do a lateral flow test daily and a PCR weekly. Not for us the staying at home and working. I and a few others (actually that's probably tens of thousands and more) really do turn up to work on shift; that is early, back and night shifts starting at 7.30am, 3.00pm and 10.00pm. I get so angry when people complain about working from home. Do they not realise just how dangerous this pandemic is? Watching someone die from this virus is the worst thing I have had to witness in my career as a Carer (several years).

Thank your lucky stars that you can lounge around in so-called lounge wear, have coffee when you want and have Zoom meetings. I and my colleagues are lucky to get our tea break on time (you cannot ignore an elderly person who wants to go to the toilet); lunchtime could be anytime and evening break is very much dependent on the needs and requirements of the clients.

You may think I am standing on a soap box, however, after working for over 8 hours on a Sunday when others are just walking past my house (which is in the country) enjoying the good weather, walking their dogs, jogging and cycling, coming home exhausted and it is dark, I hope you can understand my frustration.

Tomorrow is another day says Scarlett O'Hara, for me, it is back to work on early shift.

The most important issue is not about whether we work from home or not, it is how we can overcome this pandemic.

How do you think we can overcome this pandemic, @gogoinamercedes?

@Flynnqwer

How do you think we can overcome this pandemic, *@gogoinamercedes*?

I hope you don't mind me answering your question? I think it's already on the decline! As usual, nature has done its thing, with a bit of help from us...

@Toanewstart22

It is starting to feel like restrictions are because of anxiety rather than actual risk

Absolutely, yes.

@HAVELOCK

Those of us introverts and those with overbearing families with no sense of boundaries have been LOVING it and I don’t care who knows it.

This annoys me immensely. It’s this kind of post that gives introverts a bad name. Revelling in this, whilst thumbing your nose at others, is really not a good look.

I’m an introvert. I have health issues and the restrictions, in some ways, have not had a huge impact on my everyday life. But no blooming way would I be wishing that on everyone else.

At a push, I might hope that, in a small way, people may have gained a small understanding of what everyday life is like for others on an everyday basis. But, realistically, I don’t expect that. Life goes on - as it should - and I really hope everyone can get back t9 enjoying a more normal life. Hell, if I was 30 years younger, I’d love to be part of one of the first big festivals this year!

There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. Apart from stupid comments like the one above. Yes, own being an introvert. But don’t make it sound like “fuck everyone else, I’m alright Jack!”.

One in eight pupils out of school as Covid worsens
www.bbc.com/news/education-60126783
About a million children in England - one out of every eight pupils - were off school last Thursday, as Covid-related absences rose.

The official figures also show staffing problems worsening, with a quarter of schools seeing teachers and leaders' absence rates above 15%.

Across England as a whole, about 9% of teachers were absent.

Yes, this looks like the end alright.

@mathanxiety

One in eight pupils out of school as Covid worsens www.bbc.com/news/education-60126783 About a million children in England - one out of every eight pupils - were off school last Thursday, as Covid-related absences rose.

The official figures also show staffing problems worsening, with a quarter of schools seeing teachers and leaders' absence rates above 15%.

Across England as a whole, about 9% of teachers were absent.

Yes, this looks like the end alright.

Ok, but the thing is, are these absent people really ill, or just isolating because they have tested positive? They may not even have any symptoms...

Large private prep

Few off in dd class
Nine off ds class

Not even a whiff of school being closed, class sent home
All extracurricular stuff on
All matches on
Parents getting together for coffee tomorrow
Life seems normal. Good.

None off NOT nine!!!!