How long do you think we can tolerate this lockdown?

[TeethingAgain]

I know it's necessary and for thy e greater good, but how long do you think society will tolerate it before (more) people start flouting the rules? Are there psychologists who the government are consulting about how long humans can be expected to live like this? I know people say we are just being asked to sit on our sofas but that's a very simplistic way of looking at a gargantuan change in lifestyle and social habits which are engrained within us.

I think people could manage 8-12 weeks and I think the toll on mental health will start to outweigh the physical health benefits.

So far it has been ok, I’m frontline NHS in the community still working part time at the minute but change is coming with a 24hr service I think. DH has been furloughed as he is a structural engineer in agriculture but that can’t go on for too long as a lot of the building are required e.g. lambing sheds and milking parlours. It might sound really selfish or petty but the main thing I miss is being able to go out on a weekend after a hard week at work e.g. going to the shops, taking the kids out or going for a nice meal. I feel I’ve no escape it’s the disease all the time at work then I come home and it’s all I hear/see as well. Not to
Mention we will probably be working from our cars soon so will miss my work mates terribly

Home schooling does far has been fine and the kids seem alright at the minute but are missing the routine of school dreadfully.

I'm struggling already but I won't break the rules but I do wonder how long I can go for before I think 'fuck it' x

What I'm saying is that this government couldn't give a shit about most of its citizens or the NHS. It cares about stocks and shares. It has paid lip service to preparing the NHS to deal with this crisis, and now, at least on the news, those preparations are in place it will let the virus do it's job.

Also just to add, I’ve got a cottage booked to visit my sister up Scotland in October and I’m hoping and praying that will go ahead, it’s the one small thing I’m clinging to at the minute

Its stupid talking about death rates when we haven't got the slightest clue how many people have the virus.

I remember my nan saying that during the Blitz they only slept in the air raid shelter for one night as it was cold and damp so they took their chances in their beds.

A lot of this comes down to human nature. We are hardwired to take a level of risk with our health in order to enjoy our lives. If we didn't then we would never get pregnant (on purpose), never get in a car, never go on holiday.

For context 10,000 people die every week in this country. That's our normal death rate for all causes. www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths

@joystir59 I said on another thread that I’d be interested to see the actual numbers of people dying WITH covid-19 and those dying OF covid-19 as they are both counted but completely different

Already going mad! With. 20 month old who is completely used to being outside all the time at play places and on play dates. Partner still Working so just me and bub. I'm an out everyday kind of person! Need to be around others just who I am I suppose so if it drags on too long consequences or not I not sure I can resist not going out. I feel it is harder if you arnt doing it for yourself, as selfish as that is I think it's human nature, driving myself completely into depression to protect people I don't know is just harder. For now I shall make do, although only so Much messy play I can stand! Sadly also feel this will come in waves anyway, into lockdown, out of lockdown until. We have all caught it. No end in sight from where I'm sitting.

And all of the posters talking about push back and people not taking it anymore... what does that actually look like? If that means we slowly each start taking a second walk that probably won't have any impact on anything. If that means looting supermarkets etc than obviously the response will be much more draconian.

I think when it gets to the stage more and more people lose their jobs there will be an amount of them that think "fuck it, I've lost everything, so what have I got to lose", that's when you will potentially see people take to the streets.

So many here are forgetting that this is more about easing the burden on the NHS than 'just saving a few elderly people we don't know.' if the NHS becomes overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people presenting with Covid then it will be on its knees, well more so than already, and all the other vital services will crack and break. At that point it will not only be those elderly and vulnerable people who don't matter because they don't have much life left anyway but it will affect everyone needing to access care, from people with cancer through to people breaking their legs doing Joe Wicks. The government is trying to flatten the curve so that it is not so overwhelmed all at once - yes, a whole lot of people will still get it - I will probably die if I do - but the NHS will cope more if spread over longer. Can people not see this? Your whole model of 'the young taking the hit for the old' goes out of the window in this case. Spare a thought for the frontline NHS staff who are struggling day to day with what they see and how they could get a nasty case of it (viral load, hence staff dying). When you talk about how it's all theoretical and doesn't affect you think about those it does affect and how harrowing their life is right now and likely to get worse. What about their mental health?

I'm really fed up of these threads moaning about being bored tbh. Thank you @starlightgazers for your posts and others who can see it's not about a few nearly dead people. I have so much sympathy with those struggling in any way at this time, especially when it comes to DV or mental health issues being exacerbated. It's really horrible and I wish we could go back to normal. But we can't, so what we need to do is find our way through.

@BeijingBikini your posts are pretty offensive for a chronically ill person. You are making me feel like my life does not matter and that it's shit anyway because I'm stuck indoors so what's the point. When in reality my life is rich and positive and I have so much to offer, it's not going to be over soon just because my lungs are buggered, but it would be with this. And if it is that's fine. I'm not afraid. But I am afraid of the NHS breaking and the knock on effects on millions. I am afraid for all those losing loved ones. I am afraid for the young father of 2 I know in his thirties on a ventilator with covid right now.

It feels almost as if we are being polarised: the physically vulnerable Vs the mentally vulnerable, which is so very sad. Can we not all be compassionate for one another, without making it about one group having to trump the other group, and so invoking bitterness towards that group? Can we not pull together and get through this tragedy with our compassion and humanity intact? Can we not allow some discomfort in our lives to try to minimise the effects best we can?

@joystir59 trust me, we wouldn’t all be under house arrest if all the government cared about were ‘stocks and shares’.

They have joined most other governments in putting the prospect of (probably) less than 0.7% of the population having (generally) slightly shortened lives ahead of stocks and shares. We are all sacrificing a great deal for our fellow man and that’s as it should be (for a while anyway!)

Every day this continues is completely trashing the stock market, so most people’s pensions, job security and finances.

What would you be saying about the government’s priorities if they had NOT imposed social distancing?

I don't know but I'm struggling. We have no financial issues (yet) but I'm finding the lack of drive depressing. What's the point? Is how I'm feeling. I have kids and I need to feel drive.

I'm on week3 in Spain and I'm starting to find it hard. We cant go out for exercise and that's very depressing. It's a lovely sunny day and I'm a 10min stroll from a beautiful beach. Another 3 weeks or so to go. I'm feeling very down and trying hard to keep positive. I'm lucky to have a good pension and my dh and I live easily together 24/7. I really feel for people who have lost jobs and have dicks for partners.

@Fev11 I'd like to think that the Government actually cares about us, but sadly I don't and probably never will.

@TheCountessatHotelCortez they are indeed recording all deaths of someone with CV-19 as deaths from CV-19, which does skew things. As well as the fact we’re only testing people ill enough to be hospitalised. I found this article interesting

www.spectator.co.uk/article/The-evidence-on-Covid-19-is-not-as-clear-as-we-think

@MrsT1405 that sounds really tough! What can you leave the house for? I just can't imagine the rules getting that strict here (or maybe I'm just praying that they don't).

Can we not allow some discomfort in our lives

This all comes down to what do you mean by "discomfort". For some people it's being a bit bored and not being able to go to the pub. For other people it's domestic violence and poverty. If it's a few weeks then ok but long term? No I don't expect people to allow for that level of discomfort in their lives.

It's payday, me and my partner run our own business and will be paying ourselves £1000 each today so we can cover our rent. No we're not entitled to anything from the government as we have been high earners up to now. I'm willing to make this sacrifice for a good few months for the sake of the NHS but the question was - how long can you tolerate this? We cannot do this indefinitely.

Definitely, I did make it clear I was talking about the first group you mention. It is beyond awful for the second and there is no answer sadly. I was addressing the bored/pub category I was finding so difficult to hear as a disabled person.

I don’t know but once people start losing jobs etc en masse I think there will be riots. I remember being fascinated at the 2010 riots that ultimately all that stopped this happening generally much more frequently was the will of the people to live in peace and without disruption and that the authorities couldn’t contain it if the people chose not to live that way any more. I do think it’s a risk and the police and armed forces would struggle to millions of angry and disaffected people no matter what laws are in place.

Could somebody explain how a long lockdown is meant to work for those with NO INCOME
and knowing that their business has been destroyed after 20 years so they will come out of lockdown to
NO INCOME

Netflix costs money that many people NO LONGER HAVE
because their income stream has stopped completely

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52098436
What is the carbon footprint of all that waste ?

500,000 people die in the UK every year
it will be interesting to see how many extra deaths Covid causes.

@BuffaloCauliflower it will be interesting to see if anyone does a proper study of deaths caused by it to see what the actual end figures were and how much they differ to a normal bad flu year etc, I think that really the difference should be made public to try and calm some of the hysteria

@MigginsMrs

I agree. I was thinking back to the Poll Tax Riots, 1990 if I remember right. The public were hammered and they'd had enough. People's livelihoods are being hammered now and with the Police not being sensible and people being encouraged to report neighbours, I can see this going the same way.

That's really sad about all those plants and businesses

Many people are not eligible for grants/salary help, or do not want to take on additional debt when they're already struggling to pay the debt they do have

I'm already fed up - I live in a flat with no garden and the local park has had its gates locked because idiots were gathering there.