Do any of arch-lockdowners regret it?

[Refractory]

Just that really.

I haven’t really been on MN since 2020 because I found the near complete support for lockdown far too upsetting.

the lockdowners in my life seem to not think about it much. For them, it’s just over.

with hindsight do you wish you’d been more sceptical?

would love a civil conversation about this.

@Refractory

You'd love a civil conversation about it but instead you've just posted once and left?

Regarding your 'upset' that there were lockdowns, I'd put you in the same category as those who think it was all unnecessary because "I ignored all the rules and I didn't die", completely forgetting that without the majority doing what was requested we don't know how bad it might have been.

YABU to start a thread asking for a conversation and then not coming back to your thread OP.

Followed all precautions with the aim of delaying infection in the most vulnerable until vaccines and treatments could be developed, then got back to things as normal. Don't regret my decisions.

So true. Ever since the first lockdown we've been hearing the argument from some quarters that those who are vulnerable should simply accept they may catch it and die, and leave the young and able-bodied to get on with their lives. It's repugnant, and the fact that members of the actual government were saying it is beyond words.

We generally followed the rules, but not obsessively, and I never remotely felt any sort of compulsion to report our next door neighbours, who were frequently having gatherings in their very small patio garden.

I did, however, feel angry with the groups of late teens, more than once 3 at a time, who’d come mask-less into our corner shop with those hoping-for-trouble expressions - evidently dying for someone to say something, so they could tell them to fuck off.
I felt really sorry for the shopkeepers (brothers) who had to put up with such people, who gave not a shit about possibly infecting others.

I worked for the ambulance service during COVID and was fairly neutral towards lockdown, I suppose? It meant we were having to deal with far fewer of the "usual" calls (unnecessary calls, plus the falls and accidents in public places that made up our bread and butter) and could focus on the COVID cases, which is good. The clap was whatever. Made the government feel better about screwing us all over, if it made people on the street feel better then 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think masking was good (I have an awful immune system and didn't catch a single cold for 18 months, I loved it). My daughter was still in school for some of it because of key worker status, but she loved the home school days and has really positive memories of lockdown (so much so that we home educate now).

I don't think comparing "arch lockdowners" and anti lockdowners is productive or useful really. Whatever our views on lockdown, we were all screwed over by the government during that period, we were all expected to live by very different rules and do things that benefited them under the guide of "we're all in this together", and that's where any anger should be directed.

Don't assume everyone was unspeakably miserable during Lockdown. @Refractory I was as happy as a clam.

I never policed anyone, online or IRL, but followed the rules of the first lockdown to the letter and became overwhelmed due to the isolation and sense of doom. My GP had to put me on ADs and sleeping tablets.

My BFF who had preexisting severe MH problems (that had been managed well for years) ran away from her home in a state of distress and had police collect her due to concerns about her safety and she ended up on more medications.

Second lockdown, I regularly visited a couple of my friends who lived close by and not in my bubble, my BFF also fudged it a bit and we handled it ok that time.

Screw cracking up for other people's sake, honestly. I think it's awful how many kids ended up having their social development, education and mental health damaged for the sake of older people having a few more years in the nursing home.

We used to clap and bang pans on the wrong days, and we told our neighbours we didn't want to add to the risk by us all being outside at the same time and risk more Covid. So we suggested we alternate days 😂

I'm not remotely "insincere", thanks, and never considered myself "terribly noble". And I really have no idea why you are claiming I or any of the rest of us thought it was "lovely" to watch family members alone die of cancer because of covid restrictions supposedly "at all costs". Appalling. When did I say anything about "at all costs?" What other evildoings are you going to accuse me of?

Please stop making ridiculous, spurious accusations about other people and their motivations, characters and behaviour due to what appear to be your own narrow prejudices. We were in an unprecedented situation and it wasn't black and white. I'm as angry as you are about people who weren't allowed to see their family members while the government was partying away. It still doesn't mean that lockdown was the wrong thing to do or that any of us should have been "ashamed" of broadly following the rules some of them decided not to.

We were dealing with the unknown. I followed the expert advice and would do so again.

That was surely an issue before covid? If they're that fragile flu would have ended them. Do you expect everyone to stay indoors with any illness that may harm one person?

For someone who wanted to have a civil conversation the OP seems to be remarkably absent....

Although we practiced pretty good lockdown adherence, we absolutely didn’t go running to the Police if we saw our neighbours or people breaking guidelines. We had our own reasons to bide by the guidelines, and recognised that they may have been contravening the ‘law’ for their mental or physical health.

Please don’t think we are Bojo suck ups who took all his waffle as gospel, because I wouldn’t piss on a Tory if they were on fire. It was the work of Professor Chris Whitty, Sir Johnathan Van Tam and the other SAGE advisors that informed the decisions we made.

Oh god the clapping and pot banging, I’d forgotten about that, there’s only one other house near us we didn’t see it but I heard about it later. What on earth, cringing with embarrassment for people. It’s like those who but the Ukraine flags and the pride flags up, always the same types.

Exactly, and neither did most of us. Most people here got on with as best they could, tried to do what they thought was the right thing according to what was known/thought at the time and weren't busy dobbing in their neighbours or being "arch" anything. I don't think anyone's got anything to be ashamed of or embarrassed about.

Some people certainly do!

But I agree, most got on with things as well as they could in the circumstances.

My elderly, frail parents were utterly broken by lockdown. They made a suicide pact; one died snd the other was sectioned. I don't necessarily question the need for lockdown but I wish that more people would acknowledge the harms it did.

No. No regrets. We were told staying home would save lives. Many people were dying. I didn't want to add to that number.

There are plenty of considerate people on the chat who've acknowledged that restrictions brought heartache for many; your comment however was just mocking of those many.
Using language like 'couldn't be bothered' and suggesting it must've been 'lovely for us' to describe those of us who questioned the wisdom of covid restrictions IS arrogant and thoughtless.

we were never told it would COMPLETELY prevent. No vaccine is 100% effective.

I don’t think PP was talking about the period before Covid vaccines became available though?
They were responding to another post where someone said they wished people were still taking more precautions. So it’s about the current situation, not 2020/21.

In all honesty, me too. I absolutely loved it.

I have vivid memories of the complete solitude walking through the fields and woods which surround our house and the unbelievable joy I felt at the peace, quiet and calmness of it all.

We can acknowledge that it was shit for lots of people, while still believing it was necessary. We can’t say “lockdown was shit, so it should never have happened” if the alternative would have been worse.

It's fair enough that sounds cold, but what about the fact that's what we've always done with the flu, just without saying it out loud?