Are people forgetting we are still in lockdown?

[Scousebird26]

Hi all!
Hope everyone is safe and well!

I don’t know if this is the same for anyone else, but I took my dog for a quick walk over the field today and it was just full of people enjoying the sun - I totally understand going for your daily excercise, but there was families having picnics, groups of people playing football, people on the streets talking to each other who deffo weren’t social distancing! It was like just an ordinary day!

I totally appreciate people are getting fed up, me included and there are many of times I’ve just thought fuck it, il go and visit family/friends but I haven’t. I don’t want to make this whole thing worse.

Is this the same in other home towns or has mine just forgot the situation we are all in?!

I think that the longer it takes the government to articulate a more definitive exit strategy, the more this is going to happen. People are beginning to risk assess for themselves, balancing the risk of catching or transmitting the virus against the economic and emotional cost of lockdown. I think that the longer we are expected to stay at home with no real solution proposed, the more we will see these little acts of rebellion.

I'm not saying it's right, but the words of this spokesman from the WHO did resonate with me:

The coronavirus is not going to go away so we must learn to live with it, the World Health Organisation's special envoy for Covid-19, David Nabarro has said.
He told Hardtalk's Stephen Sackur that it was not known how long it would take to develop a treatment or a vaccine.
"We have all got to learn to live with this virus, to do our business with this virus in our presence, to have social relations with this virus in our presence and not to be continuously having to be in lockdown because of the widespread infections that can occur," Mr Nabarro added.

Where I am (zone 3 London), it is busier out but I feel that, in the main, people are still obeying the rules.

More people are working but the government guidance is that, if you cannot work from home, you can work. So, cleaners, handymen seem to be going back to work and local food outlets seem, more and more, to be opening up for takeaways and delivery.

I have not seen any big congregations of people, though, or parties. I think I would call the police if neighbours were partying, though, while others were sick and others working hard to save lives or keep the economies going. That is both illegal and recklessly selfish.

Psychologically, we all suffer from confirmation and status quo bias. At first, we were all frightened that we would get terribly ill but, every day we stay well, we become more and more confident that we will stay well, regardless of the objective evidence. I hear so many people saying ‘ I don’t think I am going to get it, now’ with no real reason behind it.

The government has also (deliberately?) self sabotaged its message recently by discouraging any enforcement whatsoever. I saw a council team at my local park once but, other than that, nothing.

I go for a walk for half an hour once or twice a week and noticed its definitely getting busy in my area again especially the park with people stopping to sit down now and playing football and frisbee etc and there are a lot more cars on the road but for all i know they could be going to and from the supermarket for essentials

Definitely busier here. More traffic. Teenagers getting together with their mates. 4-5 families out picnicking in a local beauty spot. 15 cars parked in an area displaying No Parking signs.
Harrumph.

I think that the longer it takes the government to articulate a more definitive exit strategy, the more this is going to happen

I agree with this. It’s how I feel. There’s a limit to the amount of time I’m willing to have DS cooped up and there’s a limit to the amount of strain businesses can take. Where I work (about a 1000 employees) we are beginning to plan how we’ll manage a return to work with the virus still at large.

Been like business as (pre lockdown) usual here, got stuck in a traffic jam on the way to work, streets are busy with loads of people out. You would not know it is restricted here.

I don’t recognise the places are like usual though. Where I am (appreciate it’s obviously different elsewhere it’s still pretty deserted).

Definitely busier again here too (West Midlands). We live on a busy road and the one bonus of the lockdown is how quiet it has been. Still quieter than normal but up from the past few weeks.

Didn't the government say this when people were crying out for lockdown. There is only so long people enthusiastically follow the rules before they lose interest or become complacent. It's human nature.

My area has still been pretty quiet but a lot of my neighbours are carers or work in schools so most have worked straight through all of this.

Everywhere is pretty deserted here and people are still social distancing. Most of the shops are shut except the bank and one or two takeaway food places, plus the DIY and garden shops.

We've been one the areas the most hard hit by it all despite our small population and (thankfully) people still appear to be taking it seriously.

In London - haven’t noticed this.

Trafalgar Square, China Town, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster all doing pretty good impressions of 28;Days Later (well, not quite - but you catch my drift)

It's not THAT bad here. I can only see what I imagine is families out with their kids. There was a woman yesterday with 6 kids the same(ish) age yesterday but I don't judge, she could've been a teacher, foster carer, or just have had that many kids close in age.

I took my 2 on a bike ride yesterday. 3yo was a little whizz on his bike and I want to keep his confidence up. Took him 10 minutes to go down a little hill... was so proud of him when he did. He was speeding down big grassy ones after that. We were only out 20 mins.

I am cracking up to be honest. Single parent and have barely spoken to another adult face to face in weeks. Most days we don't go out. I feel imprisoned and suffocated. It's my birthday today and I've woken up (6.30) to the boys screaming and fighting over a flipping blanket (he's got more!! HE won't share!!) it's WARM - and we have about 5 blankets! arghh.... all I want to do is drop them at the GP's and go on a 10 mile walk with the dog. I miss my exercise. I do bits but by the time they're in bed I am "battery extremely low" mode.

Fingers crossed nurseries opening again soon all being safe enough.

This doesn't surprise me at all. I knew it would happen, and will continue to do so, while the government keeps remaining silent on exit strategy. And if they do suddenly announce stricter measures, I'll be surprised if people follow them this time. People have had enough of watching paint dry, and their money disappear. Also, hearing rumours about empty hospitals is probably making people feel rebellious.

Even on MN, I'm noticing a change, even though I've hidden the CV topic and AIBU (I just dip into whatever appears on "trending now"). Two or three weeks ago, every single thread on "trending now" was about the "selfish arseholes", for days in a row. Now they're about more mumsnetty things.

Although quite shocked at some posts re people not observing (where are these..London/SE/big cities?) I do agree with the UK Government's failure to articulate a strategy point. Sturgeon (who is a lot more experienced a politician than the crop of UK ministers) was good when she gave a nudge re strategy yesterday while remaining very sensible about the long term effects.

yeah another one here who believes this is because we havent really been given any kind of time frame or realistic exit strategy (I appreciate it hard to say anything for sure) but people need some kind of end to be in sight. my own partner has said I will do the remainder of this extension and then if they havent said anything substantial just extend it for another 3 weeks I have to go back to work (hes a construction worker and has been told his site is reopening on 7th may)

realistically, this lockdown was never about none of us getting it - it was to protect the NHS so they weren't flooded with cases. I have come to terms with the fact that most of us will have to catch it in order for any kind of normality to return so cant honestly say I'm gonna be frowning at people after these next 2 weeks are up who do start assessing the risk for themselves

According to MN there hasn't been a lockdown at all. We have these threads literally every day.

Odd how the government seem to think most people have been compliant.

But for arguments sake; the government tells us a plan and that's it, lockdown is over as seen by many on this thread.

I don't get the mumsnet obsession with the' exit strategy'. It is irresponsible and not the right thing to do when this is a new virus and presenting information with it changes daily.

Imagine they did give us the strategy and had to change course mid way or at short notice, mumsnet alone would erupt with cries of government irresponsibility.

I'm wearing my hard hat, I don't need to get it as I am fully aware that mumsnet is indeed a very very left wing site....

😂😂

The aim was to protect the nhs. They have stated quite clearly that they only way to realistically do that is to keep R below 1 long term which means they do not expect most of us to catch it

The everyone catch, herd immunity, it policy was abandoned weeks ago, yet still people think it's true, so no wonder they are careful with what information they give people

There will be no concern about people going back to jobs that they probably shouldn't have stopped going to in the first place, although I think it was sensible for many places to close whilst they consider how best to work with social distancing

This is why the government didn't lockdown early. They knew they had a limited period before people would start flouting the rules. Deaths and new infections are lowering so people are starting to go out.

My village has been very compliant so far but yesterday I saw a multi-Thanks generational family out together. About 10 of them. They don’t live together. First time I’ve seen anyone breaking the lockdown rules here.

I had to go into our local town for a medical appointment yesterday too and that was notably busier but in fairness more people just out walking in the sunshine.

I believe there is public data on where observation is lowest, Middlesbrough springs to mind, but it wasn't the only place.

It will be most interesting over time to see any links between infection, deaths and low compliance

Seems exactly the same as it's been since lockdown here. We are in a fairly quiet area on the edge of a small city, but everyone still seems to be crossing the road to avoid others and I haven't seen any signs of people relaxing so far.

I went into the town centre yesterday as I needed to get something from the shops. I hadn’t been for a couple of weeks at least. It was noticeable that people are getting fatigued or complacent about social distancing now. It was observed in queues for shops but just walking past people in the street was a different story. When I would move over other people continued to walk two abreast taking up the rest of the pavement and not even making a token effort to give some extra space. It’s really frustrating.

I think people are getting fed up now. They are letting the rest of us down though.

I think the communication and honesty from the government doesn't help. The poor testing. The lack of information on recoveries. The long term plan.

Whilst I'm following the rules I am also thinking what happens next though. It's all very well us hiding and preventing the spread now. But I don't like the fact we will be expected to go back out eventually and it will be ok to catch it because the NHS can cope better. I don't want this virus. I don't want my kids getting it either. If we are all basically going to get it soon anyway then I can see why people think stuff it I'll go out and take a chance.