To ask if anyone else feels like the covid era is a bad dream

[23rMarch2020]

Whenever I think of 2020 or 2021 it just doesn’t feel real at all. The lockdowns for months on end, the clapping for the NHS, the track and trace system, entire school years being sent home because a single case was discovered, panic buying, people developing intricate methods of sanitising their shopping, public shaming of rule breakers, religious holidays being stopped at very short notice. It’s all so bizarre to think of that this was in our country so recently and, really, there’s nothing to stop any of it happening again. In so many ways it just feels like a different world, my DS who had his GCSE’s cancelled is about to go off to uni (if he gets the grades 🤞) and my then little year 7 DD is doing her own GCSE’s next year. I guess my Aibu is to ask if anyone else feels so totally disconnected from that era to the extent it’s all like a bad dream?

I remember that one of the very early rules was that they weren’t going to give people with learning disabilities access to medical care/intubation/oxygen. Nobody seemed that bothered about it.

Thee weeks leading up to lockdown were quite nightmarish (reminded me of the Planet of the apes or 28 days later) especially as I was working in retail. hated the hipocrisy, some people making it seem like a holiday, the cringeyness ( dancing nurses, the marsh family and the mini carnival NHS claps). Also society seemed more fragmented, no romantic 'blitz spirit'. Being angry that our government didn't do much while Italy and Spain were hit hard.

The UK was incredibly lucky in term of restrictions if you compare with other countries, even other countries in Europe. As bad as it was, we experienced none of the lockdowns others had to live through.

Primary school kids never had to wear a mask, unless in a medical facility. I only had to buy some for my kids to board a plane.

As I said, it was bad, but we were very lucky. The Royals gave the example by escaping from London to go to their holiday home and people who could followed!

I’m with you 100% @Toomuchrubbishonnetflix

My whole business (of 20+ years) went down the tubes. I hate the givernment for the restrictions that were imposed but not adhered to by them A more commonsense, but still safe approach, could have allowed me to continue in some part, and the business could have survived.

I can get quite angry when friends minimise the impact and imply it's all forgotten now and we've all got over it. Financially, I never will.

I agree, though being well-versed in 20th century conflicts and crises I wasn't surprised by people's behaviour.

What I found the most amusing was the amounts of posters before it all kicked off, "THEY" can't make me! There will never be a lockdown because "they" can't force me to do anything, I do what I want, "they" can't close the school.

then "they" did...
In fairness, we were never in strict lockdown, and never experienced the virtual prison other countries were in.

At the beginning of the lockdown, I was in a long supermarket queue snaking around the car park. There was a woman in the queue with a long stick - not a walking stick, a tree branch, and whenever the person behind or in front got too close, she would hold the stick out to enforce social distancing. No-one told her to stop waving sticks about. That's when it started to feel like a mad dream where people had totally forgotten how to behave normally.

What are clot shots?

I think we forget how frightening it was before we understood the transmission routes and before we had a vaccine.
I was nervous being over 50, overweight and asthmatic. Eventually I caught it 2 weeks after the schools stopped mandating mask wearing. Despite my 2 vaccinations I have had Covid Lung and fatigue for 22 months now. My younger, slimmer, non asthmatic brother had it in March '19, was very ill and very breathless for a year after it. I think I would have been in big trouble without my jabs.

I read this recently on collective amnesia and the pandemic and thought it was interesting. Weirdly for me it felt like it was all a bad dream at the time, but it does feel free now https://on.ft.com/3NGIDlE

Clot shots would appear to be a cool anti vax way to describe the vaccinations which carry a small risk of blood clots forming, slightly greater in the young unfortunately, but still have a lower risk of blood clots than from catching Covid.

It made me realise how quickly and unthinkingly societies can descend into complete insanity. Sometimes I thought I was living through a Monty Python film. At other times there were undertones of eras like the Cultural Revolution.

Yes, I think people hardly mention it now because it was such a traumatic time. It was so terrible nobody likes to be reminded of it .

To be brutally honest I found it quite exciting at the beginning. We watched & waited to see what would happen, not quite believing it was real. The peace & quiet was wonderful. My neighbour & I met outside our front doors for the weekly clapping session. I supplied the tins & drum sticks. Admitted this was for my own well-being more than anything, plus my neighbour was going back home when she was able so I got to spend extra time with her. The queues at the shops were a mare, & when they took away the lines I was even more confused than I was when the lines lead to nowhere, so I began shopping online & have continued to do so. No more trips to the surgery as we got a phone or video call instead. Visitors didn’t turn up uninvited, they even stopped calling, which was no great loss. So it wasn’t all bad. I suppose I coped pretty well as I do like my own company, not everyone did or does.

It feels like a time that, in years to come, I'll be telling my DD about as it was such a significant event. A time that documentaries will be showing on the history channel and, who knows, children might even be learning for their school exams!
I'm an SLT the NHS and it was only just a few weeks ago we were given the go ahead to stop wearing face masks for face to face appointments! I remember being told that ALL face to face appointments were cancelled and to prepare to use NHS Near Me for video call appointments. Microsoft Teams was introduced and was to be used for all team meetings. Meetings with school were sometimes done via Zoom and, because we weren't allowed to use Zoom due to confidentiality reasons, I had to join over the phone listening to several voices but not actually seeing anyone's faces. I could go on and on, but I would end up writing a bloody novel!

The main issue for me was the police exceeding their powers and creating the concept of a "necessary journey" even if it was never called that. You were liable to be stopped at random when driving and asked where you were going. It's the sort of thing that happens in authoritarian states and war zones.

Due to shit going on at home, the first lockdown was a bit of a blessing for us, even though my OH carried on working, it came at a 'perfect' time for me and the kids and I STILL struggle to get my head round it all. Most of my family and friends struggled in various ways, it was quite awful really. I am thankful that my family got through it unscathed and that was only due to circumstance.
Made me see a different side to some neighbours and I cannot see them any other way now. They turned on each other instead of supporting each other. Left us alone for the most part thankfully.

I know what you mean about lockdowns. However, every day I am reminded of my friend, who remains dead due to Covid. So it's not disconnected for me.

It was frightening, because thousands of people were dying. Formerly healthy people remain very ill. I wish people would have a shred of empathy for them when they go on about ooh, how weird!

I was talking about this exact thing with my daughter earlier... I had to pop into my corner shop and I had surreal flashback to masks and people queuing sombrely outside (2 metres between them, of course) to pick up their morning paper. It's such an odd thing to think about now. I agree it's going to take a long time to process.

I hated the stupid clapping and never did it and I'm glad of it.
I used to pretend to scan my app at the door of restaurants.
I quite liked wearing a mask as I didn't have to worry about my menopausal moustache.
I had friends round to sit in the garden and drink wine on many occasions.
I was happy to be vaccinated and never gave it a second thought, even though my mad conspiracy theorist mum said I'd be dead by Christmas.
I was never more grateful for my horses and dogs.

Oh and mine were at private school so no parents school, they went online in their bedrooms all day in fact it was too intense IMO and I wish the school hadn't done a full day 5 days a week.

Used to get angry with the anti Vax and anti lockdown conspiracy theorists. Thinking they're sexy rebellious freedom fighters. I had to work through it in retail and it was terrifying. One thing not wearing masks, but hated it when people would cough in public without covering mouths.
Also was angry about my hours being cut to make way for people in furlough.

I don't have much nostalgia for 2020-1

In my head it seems years and years ago that it all happened. Like a distant bad memory.
I worked throughout so that didn't really change for me other than driving to work on empty roads. My eldest didn't take her GCSEs and no prom so school kind of just fizzled out for her. The loo roll insanity really sticks in my head as I remember trying to buy rolls for the staff toilets! Hated the nastiness and spite that seemed to grow. Lots of sneering and telling tales and judgement. It actually made me quit Facebook for good and I've never regretted it. I remember when a few people didn't clap for the NHS in the village there was outrage from a few local dickheads who would "name and shame" those not moronically banging a pot and screaming on the doorstep. Awful times.

I feel quite pathetic admitting this but when anything comes on the tv about Covid like an old programme in that time I have to turn it off.