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.

I agree with those saying it's worse as there's no end date.

If there was an end in sight I would be planning things that made me happy, counting down, organising meet ups with friends/family.

To be told it could be ongoing till at least June is a killer. I won't last till then.

I'm also really fucked off because my pain clinic appointment (which I waited eight months for) has been cancelled, my pain medication has become useless and I'm suffering day in, day out - can't even speak to a GP because the dragon on the desk says appointments are all emergency only for the foreseeable.

I’m in isolation because my husband is on the list of vulnerable people. Our son moved out, to stay with a friend, so he could still go to his essential place of work! I’m pretty sure that our isolation will be longer than the 12 weeks!

I don’t want to be in isolation, but I want us to survive, so even if it takes 6 months or longer, so be it! To put it bluntly those saying they won’t manage it......are you happy to get this virus and risk dying? Or....are you happy to ignore guidelines and pass this virus to your parents or grandparents and for them to die? Sorry to be so blunt, but this is the fact, you risk not just yourself but your family if you ignore the guidelines!

I love my husband, and want him to get through this, so I will stick to the guidelines for as long as it takes, to give him the best chance possible of surviving this!

I think there is a practical limit to how long this can go on for. You can’t ask people to stay home as starve as the economy evaporates and their jobs aren’t there anymore.

On the plus side the NHS has geared up a lot compared to a month ago. And many people are lucky enough to pass through the illness easily. It’s a case of keeping the number of critical cases within the NHS’s capacity, not waiting at hoe útil a vaccine is available.

As an introvert I love it ❤

I will get through it but I can't see why I am bothering to be honest.
There doesn't seem to be any end to it all.
We might have to go through this all over again in a year's time, two years' time, or whatever.
What we need is some reassurance that this won't/can't reoccur.
In other words, the leading nations of the world need to 'lay the law down' and impose sanctions on any nation which causes this kind of crisis to happen.

I think we can just look back at history to see the limits of human endurance. Being asked to stay in your house for most of day is literally a holiday compared to what others have put up with. During the blitz, Londoners feared being bombed in their beds, Jews lived in attics for years. And that's just recent history.

How would the sanctions work comenext? Would our govt sanction itself for not insisting on 2 weeks quarantine for every single person Who came into the country on a flight after the outbreak was first picked Up in China?

@Totallycluelessoverhere
Yes, well, you have a good point there. I could not really understand why the govt did not stop airlines from bringing anyone in from those affected areas right at the start of the outbreak.
Maybe some economic sanctions might work?
I don't really know but I am sure we can't just let other nations destroy all that we have worked so hard for. Our whole nation (and others) is being ruined health-wise and financially.
The well-being of everyone is affected by this virus and there may well be effects which we don't yet know about. Mental health is affected, our fitness levels, our whole well-being is being destroyed. The education of our children is being disrupted and the education of our young adults is on hold.
'Sorry' is a word we rarely hear these days but the people who caused this terrible outbreak should be hanging their heads in shame.

How would the sanctions work comenext?

Well besides bombing them (which id prefer!) you can heavily tax imports from China. Tax businesses who use Chinese companies as a supplier. Oh and of course drop the 5G project they won!

Being asked to stay in your house for most of day is literally a holiday compared to what others have put up with. During the blitz, Londoners feared being bombed in their beds, Jews lived in attics for years. And that's just recent history.

Oh come on... I’m so fed up of this being compared to WWII. The same people who bang on about how bad they had it are the same ones who feel the need to go to the supermarket everyday. We are staying the fuck at home with young children. If they catch it, they only have themselves to blame

@kirstywursty
you can heavily tax imports from China. Tax businesses who use Chinese companies as a supplier. Oh and of course drop the 5G project they won!
I agree with you in principle but the snag is we have stopped producing so many items in everyday use. Even the masks are produced in China!
The 5G project needs rethinking. Also HS2 (if it goes ahead) should be built by British workers.

I'm going to say that as long as we have access to food, Kidsis have access to an education and we have a garden to enjoy (all be it small ), we can manage. I feel really sorry for all the people living in flats with no outdoor space! Ive lost my little Ironing Business, but if I can keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, plus provide the extra bits my disabled son needs, what more can I ask for. If we get through this awful situation with our health and our loved ones, count yourself lucky! I have sick relatives with suspected Covid 19 in the USA and I cant do anything to help them. It's no joke people! Look after yourselves!

For as long as it takes for the virus to stop infecting people, and for us to be safe !

comenext I suppose I feel that if China knew we were going to impose sanctions for them causing an outbreak of a virus they would do everything they possibly can to cover up the virus existing which would mean that by the time the world is aware of it, it would be too late anyway and will already have spread far and wide. China is not a country known for being open and honest.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t impose sanctions or be able to take some kind of action just that it would be difficult to implement without the possibility of making things even worse for ourselves.

Tax businesses who use Chinese companies as a supplier.

I'm pretty sure that would fuck us over way more than China. They can do without our business, whereas we import pretty much EVERYTHING from them - clothes, electronics, plastic tat, the lot. And if we started manufacturing all those things here, enjoy paying £100 for some jeans and £2000 for an iPhone.

@Totally
Very true. We can't win when dealing with China. They hold all the aces, don't they? I just feel we need to have a few trump cards in our hand for the future, forgive the card-playing metaphor.

The answer will be different for everyone. Saying, just sit at home is over simplistic because they're actually allowing us to go out to the shops, to see to sick & elderly relatives and for exercise.

The problem is that if we don't do this properly we just offset the worst of the death toll, not prevent it. The simple question to ask yourself when it all feels too much could be "Is going out unnecessarily worth killing for?", as that's what you may be intentionally and unknowingly doing. Then consider that you may not have just one victim, there could be thousands! That's how viral infection works, they spread indiscriminately as fast as they are able, the ONLY way to stop them is to vaccinate (which is not yet possible) or to isolate. We are not currently isolating, just distancing ourselves, so the virus will continue to spread, but massively more slowly and on a much smaller scale, limiting it effects.

I personally can live with the unintended consequences of my actions if they are as a result of necessary actions taken to feed my family, pretty sure how I feel about the risk of the same consequences being multiplied because I didn't follow health advice.

I'm not underplaying how hard this will seem in weeks to come, but remember you ARE saving lives by complying with social distancing, and those lives could include your own grandparents, parents, siblings and even children as well as the families of others, so at least you're not doing it for nothing.

Stay strong, stay safe, stay home.

Have none of you thought about what will happen if the economy collapses, which it will if the lockdown goes on for too long. If there is an ecomnomic meltdown, which some economists and analysts are already very worried about, then it wont be thousands dying, it will be multi millions of people. At some point we are going to have to make some hard choices in order to prevent a far. far bigger disaster than a disease which the vast majority of us will survive with fairly minor symptoms. Do we risk millions of deaths in the long term?

There will be a time limit on lockdown where it is going to cause more hardship than the actual virus, i’m guessing that will be 6 months.
I am quite happy in lockdown, I take dogs for a long walk, lovely Parks 5 minutes walk from my house and only a couple of people using it when I am and they are nowhere near me. I have to go and look after my horse everyday, 40 acres, just me and the horses so still self isolating, financially we could manage for about 6 months without panicking, big garden, lots of room in my house so everyone has their own space. I couldn’t manage in a flat, my soul would die, I love open spaces, i’m very lucky where I live 😊

I don't think staying at home is like a holiday and I am frustrated when I hear that. We are still working but without childcare or help from grandparents. My DH still has to go in to work regardless. Both our jobs are more stressful than before due to the circumstances. We are at least lucky to have jobs, I recognise that. But it's not a case of lounging on the sofa and going for long walks.

@Nillynally you are right, but there isn't much point trying to tell others, they just don't "get" it.

@kirstywursty012 - how long ago do you think WWII was? Anyone going to the supermarket now would have been a young child at the time!

I'm actually enjoying it - havent left the house for 12 days neither have the kids and the whole house pretty much definitely has the dreaded covid. Kids were poorly a few days but nothing that slowed them down and I've had it 11 days and despite really bad symptoms I don't actually feel that ill which is odd. We're stuck in a 2 up 1 down shoe box - me, a teen and a 7 yr old. I thought it would be hell but the kids are calmer and sweeter, I'm not stressed at all, could do with some eggs and fresh meat but have a delivery in 5 days so will just use up the cupboard gubbins and freezer stuff. I've had time to bake fresh bread and hot cross buns, make fresh pasta... Never have time normally. Kids are doing all their home schooling plus they find themselves extra work to do as well as lots of playing. Im making the best of a bad situation and finding all the things I can do and ignoring what I cant.

I'll keep doing this as long as needed because this is more than about me and what I want to do, this is about saving other people and I honestly cant understand those getting in a huff because they can't do what they fancy and kick off about their freedom - what about the freedom and right to life of those that will die because people are too selfish to get on with staying at home.

That saying, I was caught in domestic abuse a few years ago and being in lock down with our abuser would be hell, he also wouldn't have taken any notice of the lock down because he thinks rules don't apply to him. So i can see the other side, but if you have your home, food, a good family... Than seriously stop whining, it's such a privileged spoilt attitude. This really isn't all that bad, we arent being blown up, we don't have to cope with no loo or electricity, we are blessed with extra time to stop and love our family. The noise of traffic has stopped, bird song fills the air, the sky is blue, flowers blooming... It's a bloody good time to be alive! And this comes from someone with severe clinical depression.

To answer the OP, I personally think there will be restlessness after Easter week so w/c 20 April if there is not clarity on how much longer the lockdown is expected to last.

Now before everyone jumps on me and says the scientists don't know, I agree and know that. But in terms of the public's perception/outlook I think people will want to 'know' how much longer and what the forecast looks like so to speak. It may not be rational to request this, but people will want it all the same.

At that point I think we'll have done around one month? in lockdown and people will be starting to have had enough. There will be serious fears about jobs and the economy. Any novelty will have worn off and people will want to get back to 'normal'.

I'm not saying the economy should come before health by the way, but I honestly think there will be a tipping point where the lockdown will lose support if its in place too long. I don't agree everyone will happy to do lockdown long as needed because not everyone has that luxury.

I'm also watching Sweden closely. No lock down over there just yet, just social distancing in place. Similar rate of infection to the UK but no mass screening programme. Citizens are being trusted to isolate if they have symptoms. I guess time will tell whether this works for them.

16 days for me now. I will do this as long as is necessary. It's hardly a hardship compared to how many people live their lives every day.

I am originally from a West African country which has a few cases but not yet widespread and they are trying hard to contain it. I worry about how they can contain it when many people live cheek by jowl with extended family in large compounds. You can easily find 6 or more people living in a small room, cooking and dining is done outside in the open, makeshift bathrooms are shared by 20 or more people, often no toilets so they have to leave their homes to use public toilets, majority of people earn their living through petty trading, healthcare is almost non-existent, people are unaware that they have underlying health issues. How are they going to cope if there is a major outbreak and their economies are wiped out? These questions must be asked and I am afraid China will have to do more than sell their cheap tuck to them. Many of them rely on charity from the West but Western charities are taking a heavy hit. Something must give. This keeps me awake most nights. I have underlying health issues but I think less of it and more about my family and friends abroad. Some of us are thinking of coming together to raise funds for respirators etc but how much can we do?

I hear you babba. I think all the whining I am hearing from people here about being locked down when they have access to healthcare, running water, modern amenities, decent accommodation is really out of touch. I have a lot of family in a poor country which has just announced a lockdown. I have no idea how the country will cope and how the people will eat.
Our govt have announced generous support for anybody who loses their regular income from their permanent job or self employment. We have been assured about mortgage breaks and non evictions and other help. People here in the UK are unlikely to starve whilst we are on lockdown.