Are people you know IRL actually taking this seriously?

[HouseElfy]

Because the people I know generally really aren't. There seems to be a massive disconnect between mumsnet, social media in general, the actual news and what people IRL are doing. Yes, a lot of them are working from home now but other than that they are going shopping, to cafes, seeing friends etc. Just had a phone convo with a work colleague and she said even though the schools are closed now, "of course" they will still have playdates and so on because "kids would go mad" otherwise. My 76 year old granddad and his wife are still queuing for their pensions at the post office and going to their bloody bridge club. My FIL is still playing golf. My father says he is self isolating but then is still inviting visitors round for dinner. My own mother seems incapable of staying indoors longer than a couple of hours at a time and is currently out mooching about the shops.

Is it just me and people I know?!?!

Havanananana actually many of us in the UK have grasped it. We’re not a homogenous mass. We have the same access to the numbers that you have and many of us have been able to figure the situation out for ourselves.
Myself, my DH and my three children haven’t left the house since last Friday as one of us has a mild cough. My cousin has just told me she’s cancelled her wedding. My grandmother is preparing to not leave the house for 4 months. Many of us are taking it seriously.

I was in a tightly packed supermarket queue yesterday. For public health reasons, and partly out of curiosity to see what would happen, I stood back slightly to distance myself from others in queue, as per the social distancing advice.

People looked at me with a mixture of bemusement and puzzlement. But no one else moved. I then coughed into my elbow, as per advice, and the woman behind me looked at me alarmed, scared even.

I felt like saying to them all in a loud authoritative voice. "Do any of you watch the news...did you see the government and NHS advice". But didnt bother.

So tired of trying to raise awareness now.

Everyone seems to be following the advice here. Not many people about. Council have closed the children's playparks and all four pubs in the town have now closed. Restaurants are doing take outs or free delivery, people can still eat on the premises but seem to be empty when I've gone past.

Yep everyone I know is carrying on as normal. I’m telling people to stay at home but they just won’t.

Very very quiet around here.

People do seem to be heeding the advice. I barely see anyone when out with the dog and if I do we pass on opposite sides of the road

I have HAD to go out more than I would do normally, due to not being able to get my usual weekly online shop, milk,bread, cat food, eggs, you name it, I've had to go out searching several shops for it,
We could all self isolate if idiots didn't think its okay to panic buy.
My next online shop is coming 5th April so what I am supposed to do until then?????

Yes very seriously. I've just spent my day off in work setting out our disaster management plan for my business. I have a professional obligation in law to provide 24hr care for my clients. This has not been lifted but it is unlikely that my profession will be classed as key. I'm still worried about how I'm going to cover the hours with a skeleton staff and how I'm going to pay anyone ☹️ it's shit

I've never seen so many pensioners out on the streets than in the past few days. But then again it is sunny and they are out walks but a lot have young children with them.

Everyone seems to be taking this as some sort of holiday....

For people who aren't particularly interested in current affairs, and don't use certain types of social media, I can see how it is easy to avoid really understanding what the threats are.

The "what I reckon" vox pops on this are maddening! That Channel 4 News one last night, "Gyms keep you healthy - why would you not go to the gym?" etc etc.

Friends in London are taking it very seriously.

My household is currently self isolating because of my symptoms. My friends and family are largely being cautious and accept that we will go into lockdown soon despite current government denials- it's the only way to get some people to take this seriously.

Both DP and I have spoken to our respective mothers today who are blithely carrying on as usual whilst complaining that there was nothing much in the supermarket this week and they'd also been to the bank. My mother says she won't have me being gloomy whilst I'm coughing down the phone because I pointed out that getting her medication should be more of a priority than birdseed and cat food. His mum insists she doesn't want to depend on her other three DCs who are all single with cars, despite them all telling her they will shop for her. Both mothers are late 70s with diabetes and I'm not sure which one was most ridiculous. I think they are counting on the virus being resistant to stubborn old people...

I went to the surgery today to pick up a prescription. Several people in the queue, all keeping their distance from each other.

Then an old lady came in. Probably in her eighties. She went right up to the woman in front and started chatting.

The woman was alarmed and stepped back and told her to keep her distance. The old lady flapped her hand, moved closer and carried on chatting 😳

Everyone we know is taking it very seriously, both at their work and socially. All local social activities have shut down, restaurants and hotels have closed, library shuts tonight, people are keeping a 2-yard distance and not visiting friends at home. Dr son says he and the grandkids won't be mixing with us indoors for a while because we're over 70. GP and dentist both cancelled our routine checkup appointments this week; they are only seeing emergencies.
Along our road, the two youngest couples have circulated all the older retired residents with offers to shop and any other help required.

I see two extremes. Those like me taking it seriously and isolating, and those who think it is hysteria.
I think part of the challenge is that for most people, things have moved very very quickly. A lot of people only started to notice this about a week ago. I think before that too many people, it was just another news issue abroad. And a lot of people don't pay much attention to foreign news.
So I have been amazed at the number of people spouting how there was no lock down for SARS. There wasn't here, there was abroad. I remember the filming of deserted streets.

My area seems to be being sensible. When I had to go to the shops yesterday there were less than half the usual shoppers, stores had hand gel available, all baby and toddler groups have closed, our libraries are closed along with lots of sports clubs and societies. Music groups and amdram societies are postponing concerts.

There's still people walking around getting fresh air, but other than some idiots panic buying everything seems a lot quieter.

Let them get on with it, if you are able to stay at home you'll live. If you don't you'll be one of the stats, could be ok, could need ICU, could die.
If you are stupid enough to ignore advice and stay in, it's your own fault.
We are in and staying in. Can't work, it's all been canceled.

Also remember over 70s have been told they have to stay in their homes for 12 weeks starting this weekend. So maybe they are getting out and about while they can?

Some are, but still plenty of twats swanning about coughing and spluttering and not washing their hands properly.

*idiots panic buying" If you did not stockpile ahead of time, it is really hard where I live to find food to buy. You can't do a weekly shop, you have to shop daily. And all delivery slots are booked up for the next month, even click and collect are. People still have to eat.

yes, we are social distancing and most people here (not uk) are as well.
respectful distance is kept by most.
park was full but playground deserted even though not officially closed.

@Loppy10

Local supermarkets, cafes and pubs still full of boomers. They treat this as a big joke even though the whole country is shutting down, losing their jobs, getting into debt and ruining their children's education to save their lives.

More ageist vitriol and bile from you. Can you not give it a rest?

And if you know that all those places were full, then presumably you were there as well? Making you just as bad.

I was in a farm shop earlier buying cat litter and potatoes and the elderly chap next to me said he'd already been to five supermarkets looking for potatoes and other veg and he was so relieved to find some at last.

The foodshops are busier than normal here. Most of the cafes are not allowing seating, chairs all up on tables ect, but there's people walking about and driving about as normal.

Mixed messages is the problem. News says STAY IN. You look out the window and the shops are all open and fully staffed as usual

We're in a village. Village shops are all open as usual. Village pub, social club and the two takeway places are open. At the nearest town (7 miles away) the shops are open and so are hair dressers and nail bars. I think the majority of folk wont 'lock down' until it's officially declared that we must and there's nowhere to go because everything is shut. One of my older DDs works for a prestigious jewelry store and has just moved from one branch to another. New branch have advised her that they'll be open as usual next week and to start 9am Monday. ???

Everyone around me is, and the independent shops that are still open are being so careful with hygiene and contact points, only card transactions to avoid handling money, leaving doors open to avoid handling door knobs etc..

However, we are seeing an influx of second home owners which i suspect will increase after the school close. While i understand why they want to leave the Cities, they are increasing the risk in our rural setting.
Our GPs, hospitals, petrol stations, food shops serve a very very large catchment area, and struggle during Summer, let alone any panic buying etc.. already our local garage has run out of diesel and dont know when they can get more! We're a farming community, so no diesel is catastrophic..

It being taken pretty seriously here in Ireland, at least in my area anyway. I had to go to the chemist today. They were only letting people in one at a time. They had set up a till right inside the door, where you ask for what you want, instead of being allowed to walk around the shop browsing. There was a short queue outside with people standing 2 m apart. The supermarkets in my area are well stocked apart from pasta and tinned tomatoes. A lot of people are wearing latex gloves and most people are giving each other a wide berth. Everything feels very strange.

Everyone l know is taking it really seriously. Staying inside.

Except those terrible Boomers eh Loopy? Ruining your kids education tut tut. Tell me how they do this by just ... em.... existing? Nice to see ageism as rife as ever on mumsnet.