My friend is breaking lockdown rules and it makes me so angry/sad

[MrsAngryfromPurley]

I spoke to a friend in another town from mine today who told me of her plans for the next few days/weeks. One was that her kids were having a friend around (the same one each time) because her and this kid's mum have agreed that it's ok and they're pretty sure they've all had it anyway. She then said she'd had coffee at another friends the other day as they felt the same. She then topped it off with; that she was going down into the country in the next few weeks as her holiday home was going to come through and she was meeting a friend and their familly there! I feel so angry because I feel she is endangering other people's lives and also that people like her seem to think they have different rules because they have money or something. I'm literally feeling that it's time to end a friendship I've had with her since a child. Am I overeacting?

She’s a total idiot and I would also reconsider the friendship

It's hard to feel the same once you know you have a different moral compass to your friend.

You can't change the way people think or act, but you can distance yourself from them. Things like this pandemic has shown true colours of people. The life afterwards will never be the same.

I, too, would reconsider the friendship, and friendships with anyone who feels that rules simply don't apply to them.

I'm so glad it's not just me, I feel weird that she seems to have no civic duty, no regard for how her actions would affect others. I've always know that we think differently about stuff, but this seems to important. I don't want to argue with her, that seems pointless but feel I want to distance myself from her.

Have you called her out over it?

I wouldn' re-evaluate my friendship with her in your shoes as well

I agree that it's showing people's true colours. I've been surprised by who among my friendship group is flouting the rules and who is making big sacrifices to stay at home. I have one friend who has moved from their place in London to their mum's lovely countryside cottage and has since gone on "social distancing walks" with old friends still living in the area. I know this because he cheerfully sends photos in a WhatsApp group. He doesn't seem to have picked up on the deafening silence from the rest of the group every time a photo like this gets shared.

You're not overreacting.

She's being socially irresponsible

Shes being unreasonable

I honestly don’t know anyone going out - it’s deserted round here, so most are being sensible

Show her this advert from Ohio, which demonstrates the effect of social distancing vs the effect of not doing it.

Why don’t you say something to her? The friendship is likely over anyway and you would be doing a public service.

The stupidity is everywhere. There's a family who still went to work in non essential workplaces when one member had it, then got sent home when they had caught it and children (adult children) who have and haven't had it are socialising as normal.

They have been reported and are now sending threatening texts and thinly veiled Facebook statuses to people they think have reported them.

Is there anywhere to report things like this? My neighbours have had their grandchildren over daily and are having a bbq right now with family over. It really pisses me off- I’m in the vulnerable category and had my dd sobbing this morning as she’s so upset we can’t see people then dickheads like these are going to keep risking things for everyone

I've stopped talking to a friend who thinks it's all nonsense and who told me there isn't a real lockdown where she lives (Jersey) and that she's a key worker so it doesn't apply to her anyway. She works in the library
She thinks it's all a fuss over nothing and is confident she won't catch it.
I think she's a twat.

You can report to the police! But I understand many police forces have set up online reporting so that their phone lines aren't overwhelmed, so in the first instance I'd check the website for your local police force.

It really is the case that most people are keeping the rules, though. There hasn't been an issue around here at all either. I think it's just a vocal minority who don't care or see the point in keeping the rules.

Call her out. Report her. Sadly she’s not your friend if she doesn’t care about your safety or that of your family so nothing lost.

I can’t find anything to report online anywhere

Personally the tw@ts who flout the rules like this should be named and shamed.