To not be over what happened to me during covid/lockdowns

[ifyougochasingrabbits]

Just a few of the things I went through

Losing my cleaning business i had built up over years overnight due to everyone cancelling us

Being humiliated by the headteacher at DC school shouting at me in front of other parents because I refused to wear a mask outside . My little girl being made to start school late and finish late because I was unable to wear a mask to collect her (school run was all outside I may add and I had no problem wearing masks in shops etc but I drew the line at in the fresh air outside)

watching thousands of pounds of income disappear at an alarming rate. while wondering if we’d still have jobs and be able to keep the house we’d worked our arses off for for years to buy. Going through six months of trauma with H furloughed and depressed because his work could not guarantee he'd still have a job at the end of it. He was on half pay as furlough was only paid up to about 30k salary iirc and if you were on more it was employers discretion to pay the full salary which his work didn't. He was even applying for jobs at supermarkets and delivery driving etc and getting no where despite having a high level job at a major house builder.

Watching selfish morons stockpiling at the very beginning

“Friends” dumping me, one Cos I dared voice out loud that I wasn’t personally scared of covid and was struggling with restrictions and did not agree with them.

Having to deal with the fact that many of my (remaining) friends had views I completely don’t agree with and accepting they probably feel same about me.
And having to cope with the fact they supported restrictions that were destroying our lives and mental health

Having my business absolutely trashed all over social media and being called a dirty bitch and worse by local people. Fake bad reviews etc. The “reason” was they took exception to me saying on a local page post that I didn't believe in masks in school (this was due to my kids really struggling with them) My 14 year old said he agreed and some of them then found him on fb and messaged him insulted his looks and called him stupid and a fucking moron etc. This was actual grown adults.

a random person inboxed me on Facebook due to seeing my business ad and threatened to "smash my face in" because she thinks i was “endangering lives” by working

My neighbour reporting us to the police for having an illegal gathering. This "illegal gathering" was me, my H and our 3 dc having a bbq in the garden. Needless to say we all live together

Being put on medication for panic attacks and anxiety in fact I minimised it to the gp. I was actually suicidal and the only reason I am still here is because of my kids and the fact my husband and parents had the same views as me. But I would secretly hope to die in my sleep and almost every day I would wake up and cry because I was still here.

Watching my 3 Kids completely fall apart due to schools being closed. While not only having to deal with seeing posts all over fb about how well other kids were doing and coping doing all their work, managing great. And knowing some people I care about actually wanted schools shut. One of my kids is still very unwell mentally and it all started with lockdowns

Oh and to add final insult to injury, in November 2021 I had to pay £5700 (which was part credit card and part all of our savings) privately for an operation that should have been freely available on the nhs. But cos covid they could not give me a date and I was getting more and more poorly and could not wait.

I am still angry and maybe I should get over it. But I can't. And There's probably more but these are the stand out moments. I'm doing okay now and I have a new business and I'm doing well, H has a new job as he could not trust his old place after covid. but I've been very low again recently with the anniversary of it all

at the time - but you did??

You should have offered up your expertise and your research in 2020.

A lot of scientists who did offer up their expertise were sidelined silenced and smeared

@adriftinadenofvipers
The strictness index which plots different countries levels of restrictions can be used against death from covid and infections. Clearly the excess death rates are the most important figure, however the Uk's ageing population was clearly a factor as well - in addition the Uk's measurement of deaths from covid was different to other nations ie anyone dying within so many week who had previous positive covid test was recorded as dying from covid. The data collected was flawed - this became apparent over time. Of course hindsight is a wonderful thing but I have a feeling that in the future we will all be more likely to scrutinise the data rather than just follow

I get it 🙄. No ‘expert’ in any country knew this yet but not many (none) thought that keeping children inside for 6 weeks was a good idea. So why are you pushing this as a good thing? No country thought this was a good idea! There’s no excusing it.

Sorry your post makes no sense. We are talking about the impact of lockdowns. Don’t silence people criticising the impact of lockdowns on children. Don’t start bringing up all the other issues that face children across the world. That has nothing to do with what we are talking about. What a weak argument.

No but I'm not closed minded. I understand that difficult decisions had to be taken, ones with massive ramifications which will rumble well into the future. The first priority had to be to protect the NHS, because if it had crumbled, we would all have been fucked.

Some people have extremely short memories. And yes, I do think the majority of parents are decent and doing their best. I'd hate to be so cynical as to think that there are more neglectful and abusive parents than decent ones.

We know all these things you refer to - of course we do. And unfortunately that has been one of the prices paid. At the barest of minimums, when John beat the crap out of Mary, there was an ambulance there to take her to hospital, and staff to treat her. Of course it's abhorrent but I don't for the life of me know what people like you wanted. To let Covid rip unchecked before there was treatment or vaccines?

And do you ever cast a thought towards the poor victims, trussed up in whatever shambles of PPE they could get, attached to ventilators in terror, unable to see their loved ones, knowing they were dying and in agony? Cared for by exhausted and utterly traumatised staff, fearing for themselves as well as their patients? Do you remember how many of them died as a result of doing their days' work? Have you forgotten their haunted faces, with the marks of their medical masks etc? Did you want more dead and dying patients then, without zero hospital beds or staff to treat them, because Covid had floored so many of the population that the system couldn't function at even a minimal level?

There were many many victims of Covid. I think people like you have forgotten and continue to diminish the suffering of so many.

It was the most privileged people that stayed at home did they? No nuance in that? Nobody on low incomes, no abused children, no domestic abuse cases? It was all painting rainbows on windows and PE in the garden was it?

with zero

You want a hierarchy of victims? FFS!

COVID is having its millennium bug moment.

BuT NoT eNoUgH pEoPlE dIeD fFs

Wow. Well we all have our priorities don’t we. So as long as the abused wife has an ambulance to take her to hospital then that’s all ok. Your post is embarrassing. So just because there are more decent parents than neglectful ones then that’s ok that we created conditions where this abuse could thrive.

Nobody is denying Covid was awful and people died. I am arguing that long, lengthy lockdowns did more harm than good.

It must be hard to realise that we sacrificed so much for so little impact. Look at our huge death rate. Then have a little think about whether our policies worked… that doesn’t mean I don’t feel awful for those that died and all the staff involved. It was a global
pandemic.

But I refuse to buy in to the idea that if we’d all behaved a bit better then less people would have died.

I’m referring to @pixie5121 post where she claimed only the privileged children had to stay at home for 6 weeks. I pointed out it was a bit more nuanced than that and not all children who had to stay inside for 6 weekend were in fact privileged. Get it now?

@Woeismeitappears , I'm so sorry for the loss of your husband 💐.

@ifyougochasingrabbits , were you unable to wear a mask for the school run or did you choose not to?

" But I refuse to buy in to the idea that if we’d all behaved a bit better then less people would have died."

If you really don't understand that that's a fact then there is no hope. Of course less mixing, distancing, more testing etc would lead to further spread and ultimately death,

Incredulous

All the the evidence and papers were published and freely available to the public, as is all covid research now. You can check out SAGE, WHO and the rest easily.

It’s just that Jo public doesn’t know where to (or doesn’t have the inclination to) access it and even if they did, many haven’t got even a science GCSE so understanding/interpreting it could be a challenge.

I think they did the best under the circumstances to have the daily updates and slide presentations to try and get across what was actually going on.

Honestly, decisions on public health should be left to people who are actually trained to do what’s best. Rather than debated by Mindy who works at the Mace and failed all her exams…

Some people have extremely short memories

I agree and I think too many people want to cry:
“See told you it was a fuss about nothing!”
conveniently forgetting that a nationwide successful vaccination programme is what is making covid safe for the populace, the virus has now mutated to less harmful strains.
Most tried to act in a socially responsible way while millions of pounds and the top microbiologists in the world researched a completely novel virus and how to control it.

That didn’t just “happen”

The pandemic didn’t just magically go away on its own.

And again

A minority of children has a diabolical time during lockdown. Most were fine or are easily getting there

A minority of children are vulnerable or their families were or teachers were.

And the virus would spread further and further....

Until everyone starts mixing again eh? Or did you want us to stay in lockdown permanently.

I’m talking about whether long, lengthy lockdowns were a measured response. And increasingly it is looking like they weren’t.

You may want to reread your post too. I think you’ve said the opposite of what you meant. Unless you are really arguing that less mixing would lead to more spread and deaths.

Screw that very significant minority then get. You are not covering yourself in glory here..

No you are embarrassing, utterly embarrassing. You clearly didn't read my post properly. Of course John shouldn't have beaten the crap out of Mary and you would have to be a real dick not to get that. But if Covid had ravaged the population, there may well not have been an ambulance, and there may well not have been professionals to treat her. So WTF would have happened to Mary then??? Why are you being so deliberately obtuse? You are completely and utterly failing to comprehend the priority there was around protecting the NHS!!

Your argument is flawed. The less spread of the virus, the fewer people affected, the fewer in hospitals and the fewer NHS staff contracting it. It's not rocket science. We did not have the equipment, PPE or personnel, especially in the early days.

By all means look at the numbers who died in spite of our sacrifices. That's a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. Among their numbers were people like you who thought they knew better and challenged the lockdowns. How many reports were there of unfortunates on their deathbed regretting that they chose not to pay heed? We will never know how many lives were saved by lockdown. All we do know is that the NHS was able to limp on, traumatised and decimated, but just about managing to stay afloat.

Mankind has to make sacrifices while facing a deadly enemy. This enemy wasn't a nation or nations, but a deadly virus.

We all know that domestic abuse victims suffered more. We all knew that abused children's risk was hugely magnified. We all know the toll on people's mental health; we all know the hit on children's education and childhood. My own child missed out on vital years of schooling and got shite teacher-awarded grades for 2 sets of public exams which was very demoralising but shit happens. Things could have been worse.

I am arguing that the prolonged lockdowns were a necessary evil for the sake of the NHS. I didn't like them any more than you did and I recognise as I've stated above the immense and in many cases long-term damage caused to society as a whole. I am grateful that I didn't lose anyone I loved, but then most of the elder generation of my family including my parents had passed long before. We were set up then for the CoL crisis too which is currently reducing so many citizens of the UK further into poverty and crisis.

I truly believe if we had behaved better, fewer people might have died. The nursing homes situation for one was a total disgrace. Just because people were elderly and frail should never have meant that they were treated as dispensible.

Mr Cock and Bojo et al were despicable, and their behaviours execrable. Their high-handed attitude towards the 'little people' was beyond belief - like Nero fiddling while Rome burned! However, lockdowns bought us time, as they were intended to do. This time three years ago, it was hard to imagine that life would ever be normal again.

What I have never seen from people like you who are/were so opposed to lockdown, is an alternative? In your 'expert' opinion, what would have been a viable/workable/successful alternative? Because I am damned if I can see one?

I think you've twisted what she said - my understanding was that she was referring to children being privileged as European children who don't have the same challenges as those living in a 3rd world country or a warzone?

"I’m talking about whether long, lengthy lockdowns were a measured response. And increasingly it is looking like they weren’t."

"Increasingly it is looking like..." - did we have this information fucking three years ago??? Are you really so lacking in intelligence?

People like you irritate the hell out of me - all you've done is bitch, criticise and defy - yet you have no viable alternative either.

Exactly, and this mindset makes me so angry!

I will be forever haunted by those images of medical professionals, both mentally and physically exhausted, working their arses off to try to save lives against a merciless virus that was not understood, did not have much in the way of treatment options, and for which there was no vaccine. With their faces bearing the red marks of the PPE they had to wear.

Personally I will never forget it and I will never accept the views of the Covid deniers who insist on arguing that the lockdowns were disproportionate and unnecessary when it patently wasn't the case!