Do you know anyone still in Covid ‘lockdown’?

[Rattanlamp]

I’ve heard people mention that others are still living like we are in lockdown, but I don’t know anybody doing this. I’m genuinely just curious to see if you do because I find it strangely fascinating!

Yes, my parents took early retirement during Covid and they will only socialise outdoors / won't go into a shop other than very quickly with a mask on. Unfortunately, my Dad has a type of blood cancer that means he is severely immunocompromised and therefore my parents are very nervous of catching Covid or other illnesses. They were already careful prior to Covid (e.g. asking people not to come round if they had a cold / avoiding crowded spaces) but not to this extent. It is very difficult for them, especially in the colder months when socialising outdoors is more difficult.

lots of people who socially distance still are bonkers tho.

We should laugh at them.

Ah, I get you. I think I misinterpreted the tone of your post, apologies 🙏

I think Covid lockdown exacerbated any pre-existing anxieties so now there are many shut-ins who struggle to adapt to normal life again. If you’re vulnerable health wise or associate with vulnerable then it’s understandable really.

I think the question would be,were you or your neighbour living that way before lockdown? Or would you have been had you been ill.

Well I’ve never liked people in my personal space tbh, hate it when people are up your arse when queuing. Bring on social distancing

I still avoid big crowded places, don’t use public transport (but didn’t before covid anyway) and ask people not to see me when unwell (again before covid)

@StinkyCheeseMoose I know someone like this too.

There a subgroup of people in this category who have vulnerabilities (cancer, autoimmune disease, long COVID etc) who have very legitimate reasons to permashield and who deserve sympathy and compassion.

But I think there’s a larger group of people who were already anxious/socially awkward/agoraphobic for whom this has become a get out of jail free card allowing them to step away from having to face life.

The problem is that the first group provide air cover for the second group and legitimise their neuoses. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and the longer you spend avoiding people the less equipped you are to deal with people so you lose your bearings and social muscle and it then becomes harder and harder to reset your life. Other people become hostile and social situations become frightening.

In the past a certain level of social obligation would force them to keep their hand in to a certain extent and retain some sense of connection. Nowadays living like this is actively embraced by many people.

There are so many threads on here emphasising the idea that the world and other people are to be avoided at all costs. I find it frustrating and depressing.

What always strikes me about the people saying it's sensible for the immuno-compromised is that for the most part, people i know in that situation are still living life. They may be careful about certain things, but they still go out in public, see friends, see their grandkids, meet at cafes.

Because usually they have a strong sense of their mortality and they don't want to not do the things that are so important to making life worthwhile. And that is often even more true for the ones who are elderly and know that they have limited time even if the manage to avoid every virus going.

I find the contrast with people not seeing friends, always staying in, not seeing grandbabies, really stark. There is clearly something mentally unwell going on there. As if the point of life is just how long you can avoid death.

I drive past a lady each day walking her dog in latex gloves and a mask. I always feel a bit sad for her

You do have to balance it. I’m severely neutropenic and will be likely for life
so technically yes I should do stuff like a neutropenic diet etc etc but… life without soft cheese and fresh fruit isn’t one I want!
but on the other hand I was really unwell with covid, I know how quickly stuff like tonsillitis gets bad and I have to be aware of my sickness at work levels too

No, no need to apologise at all. Tone is impossible to be sure of on the internet and it was a fair point you made.

It was people like @Pythag I was referring to.

Do you find many people claiming to be socially distancing around you? How curious.

Not because of Covid but I rarely leave the house. Only for medical appointments.

No, I don't know anyone who has Munchausen's.

An old school mum i know is still wearing mask & gloves while outside walking, and has not returned to work since covid.
Bizarrely she refused any covid vaccines as her child is mixed race and she felt they weren't researched enough in ethnic minority people and was suspicious of government conspiracy.
She became batshit bonkers during covid and I suspect she's very mentally unwell now.

Sod that, I personally would rather die than be locked up for my own good again. However, I've stopped going to extremely crowded places and am just a bit more careful.

I don't have a problem with anyone that still doesn't want to go out though as it's very much an each to their own situation. There's no right or wrong way to live.

Yes, it's a balance. my partner is still pretty careful in some ways, he avoids places with big crowds and he's always been anal about hand washing. But he still does the things he enjoys, and sees his family, and such.

That story up thread about the woman who wouldn't see her father and he does. It really takes me back to when the elderly were all locked in, and so many died, not of covid, but of old age. And their kids could not, and often would not, go see them. So they died alone never having seen their loved ones.

I just think, how fucked up is that?

I don't think people realise how fast and easily you can become agoraphobic. Its something I've struggled with on and off with for years even prior to covid. The longer I stay in my house the harder it is to leave and after a while it feels impossible

It’s not that though is it if you’re actually highly susceptible to getting severely unwell
nobody would say I had that if I was avoiding someone with flu

I know a few people in their thirties who are still severly limited by long covid.

I don't like how people underestimate it and I consider very rude spreading germs when there is a choice.

I am not permashielding, but I'm making some choices to limit risks. I expect people not to visit me when ill, I hate people coughing in the office (we can WFH, and they voluntarily do that on some days, so they really don't have to be there), and I'd really like to see people to just be polite and wear mask when obviously ill and need to use public transport or visit a shop.

I don’t know anyone living like this, including people with very compromised immune systems. I don’t know why covid fear in particular would drive people toward isolation: there are surely far worse viral and bacterial threats, aside from Covid in Covid-vaccinated and boosted individuals, in terms of incidence and serious complication rates? I’m thinking flu, pneumococcal, RSV, norovirus, whooping cough, chicken pox (in immunocompromised individuals), etc etc etc.

I would imagine the normalisation of face masks and staying at home during the early 2020s has provided some cover for agoraphobia and extreme contamination- based mental health conditions that would otherwise be seen as very problematic.

I’m interested in this as I have long covid. What support was offered and what evidence did you feel was lacking?

But wearing over the counter masks has a very weak effect on the spread of infection, and people cough for numerous reasons. I cough loads as I have environmental allergies.

I may be misinformed but I have not seen any legitimate scientific studies suggesting that people with long Covid are made more ill by exposure to common respiratory infections.

Sorry, a bit confused. Was the person saying people should test and isolate or saying people should never leave the house and wipe everything down with antibac? There seems a massive jump between the two.