to think there will be a lockdown divide

[coronamoana]

Firstly understand why it's necessary & will comply.

After talking with family, friends & colleagues it seems that for some lockdown will be hell on earth, for others heaven.

Hell
Older people who may live alone and will miss social interaction, etc.
Vulnerable people who really on particular services
Families with children, particularly young ones. Plenty don't even have gardens

Heaven
Healthy, childfree adults/couples who can look forward to diy, organising, netflix etc.
Rich families who plan to retreat to huge 2nd home & garden despite the fact they should stay put.

I have 2 young ones at home & we fortunately have a garden but not a big one or a big house for that matter. One will need schooling to continue which DH & I will attempt to facilitate around our jobs (can wfh). Dreading it!

You missed a very important group. The ones who still actually have to go out to work and pretend to carry on as normal in all of this.

I missed them out because they won't essentially be on lockdown & wont be looking at staying inside for the majority of the day. Of course it will be incredibly difficult for them.

Actually as someone who has to go out to work I'm actually pleased at the moment that I get to do that. Whether this feeling will change I don't know but right in the heart of things I feel more normal and in control than locked in the house. I will have to work more over the next few weeks and have already offered to cover the isolation of my. Colleagues. I actually get to see people and realistically to know what is actually going on rather than the panic I felt when i stay in and read only mumSnet and Facebook and the news.

I'm in the second group (no second home though) and am not looking forward to it as I love people and can slide into an MH slump without others.

I am however trying to look on it as a positive. As much as I would love to I won't go to the gym so, weather permitting, I will be out gardening this weekend as an alternative. I also have old VHS tapes that I have been promising myself for years to convert so I will start that as a pet project.

True, we are currently debating which house - my big one but has other residents or dp's house which I'm planning to move to but not quite yet and it's small (but no pesky adult kids)

Yes I agree, I'm still currently working (in a school) & although i'm part time I'm doing full time & am rushed off my feet. My children are still in school/childminder & because dh is now wfh & is doing all pick ups/drop offs it's made logistics much easier this week.

I think I will have to go to work. I like the idea of a few weeks indoors with some books but the idea of not getting paid freaks me out big time.

Yes I think there will be a huge divide. Families living in overcrowded flats without access to outside space or the means to access internet. Especially when summer hits. It will be hell on earth.

In some ways those carrying on at work will have routine and opportunity to get out of the house. I say that as frontline NHS. I know we will tested like never before but I still think it will be easier in some ways than being quarantined. In the wake of this there will be a huge decline in mental health and ptsd I imagine for staff working in difficult conditions.

I imagine those still having to work will be exhausted with all the extra pressure.

I am still working. The government has classified our business as key work. Because we have NHS and government contracts. If our people on the ground dont do the work we do, their buildings and safety equipment is uninsured.

However, as of next week, as an office worker I am at home. Working, from home, with the kids.

Dp is at home as well but not working. So he will be looking after ds. Enabling me to work. It's going to be hard on all of us.

Ds will love it. He has aspergers, he would prefer to stay home all the time. Dp is a home body. But I am used to going out. I travel for work. I think it's me who will struggle more.

I’m in the young children category. With husband attempting to work from home (not possible for me to wfh). I think we’ll find it challenging but I feel most sorry for people who already have shitty home lives. Work or school routine must be a sweet relief from neglectful/abusive homelife.

Ultimately no one will be happy with the situation they find themselves in, and everyone will want what someone else has. You only have to look at every single thread on MN to see that.

I work in a school and am heartbroken that my kids will probably have to go to school “childcare” along with a few other kids whilst I care for keyworkers children at my school. The whole reason I do this low paid job is so my kids don’t have to go in to school childcare whilst everyone else is at home. Hope that makes sense.

In order to have a positive debate it is important to avoid inflammatory language please OP

what inflammatory language did I use?

Would you maybe be allowed to take your kids to the school you work in?

@Morgan12 possibly but it's a relatively small school & staff were already dropping like flies. SLT are looking at if they can stay open, will ratios still apply I wonder? Technically I can do my job from home but I will have to do it once the kids are in bed really.

I do agree to a point (with 4 young and very active dcs and 2 full time working parents we are not thrilled about this!), but do think that you're missing out the truly worst affected here. Most of the groups you've mentioned will ultimately be ok with it, even if inconvenienced.
It's those who've lost jobs and still have to pay the rent, frontline NHS workers (and their families, who can't always even live with them due to infection risk), those stuck in abusive relationships, those whose mental or physical health issues mean they are too scared to even get food ordered... It's hell for them, it's major pain in the arse for the rest of us.

I don't think many/all healthy childfree adults will love it. I fall into that group and love my own company - often spend all weekend on my own at home. But the idea of no physical contact, not touching another human being for weeks? It's so unnatural its horrifying.

You missed out the wfh crowd. We are in a more fortunate position than many as we still have jobs (for now) but we have to figure out how to work whilst simultaneously homeschooling our children. It's not going to be Netflix and family walks in the woods for us. In all likelihood we will be doing both things badly and working until midnight to get through it all.

You're creating a them and us like so many on here. It's the toffs versus the rest, with the toffs having an easy life. Massive oversimplification.

You have no idea of what struggles people in your artificial Heaven category actually have. It isn't binary.

But crack on if you want a bit of entertainment. You sound bitter.

@eurochick same for us & most of the people I know with children.

I’m in the heaven group and definitely am not looking forward to it.

I’m mostly ok at the prospect. In some ways I’d prefer it to the current situation with people not isolating when they should (I’ve only been out for a couple of essential things this week and both times there were people merrily coughing away on the bus 🤬), crowding supermarkets harassing staff etc. I would in that sense feel safer with lockdown.

I’m incredibly grateful this didn’t happen 2+ years ago, before we were housed by the council - previous house was tiny, poor ventilation and lighting, no garden, basically no heating.

I’m an introvert with chronic illnesses who can’t work anyway, so in some ways life isn’t hugely different and I’m glad of the opportunity to slow the child-related rushing down a bit too (lots of clubs that are now off). I’m mostly worried about DD1 (12) coping due to the lack of seeing friends. She’s only just gone back to school in December after almost 5 years home ed (her brother still is) so the education bit doesn’t worry me but she’s going to struggle not being able to meet up. FaceTime will be near constant I think.

Also worried about toddler’s sleep being messed right up again as nursery and a weekly playgroup had sorted her routine out so we got more sleep.

Also sadly there is the group for whom home and family are not a happy or safe place at all

Those in abusive relationships
Children with abusive parents who have school as their safety

Also people who have mental health problems - many manage these through exercise, socialising... being cooped up at home will see a whole lot of people spiral into despair

Sorry to be so bleak but it’s the awful truth