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Original poster

Stop going out!

487 replies

CurtainWitcher · 24/04/2020 17:13

Watching today's update and the cars usage graph shows that people are starting to drive for non-essential journeys again.

WHY?

Why can't people just stay at home?! Stop driving around! I see people shopping twice a week or more, regularly. WHY?!

OP posts:
SuitedandBooted · 25/04/2020 20:25

People are are going to work, because (shock!) not everyone is a SAHP or able to work from home. It isn't, and never was, "Essential workers only".

Letter to businesses from the Secretary of State for business, Alok Sharma on the 9th of April

'Manufacturing is a critical part of our economy and I would like to be clear that there is no restriction on manufacturing continuing under the current rules. Public Health England provide best practice advice on how this can be done safely’

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-letter-to-the-manufacturing-sector

Tr1skel1on · 25/04/2020 20:56

IME there is a clear difference. People who are WFH or furloughed panic and think they can't safely leave their house.

Everyone else who has been working as normal and going meh I'm still here after 5 weeks... Think you might survive a trip past your front door

Xenia · 25/04/2020 21:25

Yes, I think we all just have to try to understand each other and cut some slack to others in this as everyone is affected differently. It must be nice not to have to go out for work purposes. My son delivers food for a living for a company and has never been busier. My sibling is a doctor. I have some work things (lawyer) and mostly just post office, post box stuff, documents to send abroad and that kind of thing.

RufustheLanglovingreindeer · 25/04/2020 21:31

People who are WFH or furloughed panic and think they can't safely leave their house

Nah I don’t reckon...I don’t think sahp or wfh or furloughed are panicking

Inkpaperstars · 25/04/2020 21:35

People at home all the time are relying on others still being out there working in food supply etc. But also the risks of being out there working have been much lower than if lockdown wasn't happening. There was always a goal to balance what continuing work was needed to enable lockdown, with a level of lockdown that could get R below one during that time.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 25/04/2020 21:37

@Tr1skel1on I've been furloughed since March and I'm going out every day!

MrsKingfisher · 25/04/2020 21:51

There are so many people in different situations, we really aren't all in this together.

We are so lucky we have a garden but what about those who live in high rises no garden with families, those whose mental health is suffering more so now than ever and being outside is the only thing that helps them. Those who are in toxic or abusive relationships that feel trapped. There are so many reasons why people aren't staying at home, at the beginning of all this I was very irritated at people not 'following the rules' but I see some around me who are really affected and now I feel that if you're social distancing you have to do what you can to maintain a healthy mental and emotional state.

ChinnyReckon123 · 26/04/2020 00:57

There are plenty of SAHP and furloughed people panicking and not leaving the house. I've seen numerous 'we (incl DC) haven't left the house in X weeks' posts or 'only left the house 3 times in X weeks for essential shopping' posts.

And these aren't people that are shielding and they aren't unemployed.

RufustheLanglovingreindeer · 26/04/2020 09:45

My ds1 hasnt left the house In 4/5 weeks or however long its been...he’s not panicking

Dd has left the house twice...she’s not panicking

Dh and i leave the house once a week to go shopping, we’ve done 3ish walks...we’re not panicking

If id have realised that the new definition (At least on this thread) of ‘panicking’ was ‘not leaving the house much’ i would Probably have agreed

WobblyAllOver · 26/04/2020 09:52

I don't leave the house to go shopping because I bloody hate supermarket shopping and always have a delivery which are now like gold dust. Doing a quick shop for fresh salad was about all I did pre coronavirus which is no longer doable with the queues.

I WFH so no longer go out for work.

However I would be out like a shot if the garden centres, restaurants and other places were open. I really miss them and when they do open I will be taking my chances Grin

Stellamboscha · 26/04/2020 10:56

Oh yes the garden centres!!! Have been buying plants in Lidl for the first time ever -I would queue miles for a garden centre!

JoeBidensDisintegratingBrain · 26/04/2020 11:38

There is a substantial portion of mumsnetters (and humans in general) who believe they are entitled to do what they want whenever they want, other people's well-being be damned.

SparkyTheCat · 26/04/2020 12:27

My neighbours will have seen me making 'extra' trips lately, but what they (and you) don't know is that I'm being treated for a miscarriage and am actually quite ill. Hope my 'reason' passes muster with you, OP!!

Unworthie · 26/04/2020 13:46

There is a substantial portion of mumsnetters (and humans in general) who believe they are entitled to do what they want whenever they want, other people's well-being be damned.

There's also a substantial proportion of mumsnetters and humans that think unless they deem it ok then you're the spawn of Satan for doing anything. And the person who it directly affects the mosts well being be damned.
And spend their time policing everyone else's movements for infractions.

"So what if you can't drive and can't carry enough shopping for a week for your family! Man up and go hungry because I can manage to shop once a millennium there's no way anyone ever needs to do it more than that because I said so"

🙄

justasking111 · 26/04/2020 13:49

I know of parents whose young children have not been allowed to leave the house for 7 weeks, they pulled their children out early. They are asking why said children are writing on the walls, playing up generally and making their lives hell. Well umm....

Cantata · 26/04/2020 14:04

@JoeBidensDisintegratingBrain

There is a substantial portion of mumsnetters (and humans in general) who believe they are entitled to do what they want whenever they want, other people's well-being be damned

Yes, there is indeed. They are the ones who think we should all be under house arrest because it is desirable or necessary for them in some way, and other people's livelihoods and mental health be damned.

MarginalGain · 26/04/2020 14:08

There is a substantial portion of mumsnetters (and humans in general) who believe they are entitled to do what they want whenever they want, other people's well-being be damned

It's 'entitled' to leave your house now. Strange times.

By the way the Telegraph reports the government is preparing to drop its 'stay at home' message, at last they're changing the record.

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 26/04/2020 14:22

If I stay home I can't pay my rent. Which is something of a catch 22 in the medium term.

Xenia · 26/04/2020 14:59

There are a lot of busy bodies out there. The wrld and his wife are coming up our road day in day out now (nice quiet private road). My son eg is on a local list to get medicines from the chemist and take to the house bound. He drives. I bet some people think he is going out too much or they may not know I have to drive for work purposes so am out.

yes, the state is trying to think of a new phrase for the next phase. My idea is a big dragon drawing who breaths fire [germs] on people and the slogan should be "Keep your Distance"

Willow2017 · 26/04/2020 15:23

There is a substantial portion of mumsnetters (and humans in general) who believe they are entitled to do what they want whenever they want, other people's well-being be damned.

And a spectacular amount of people on MN making up 'rools' as they go along and screaming at people for breaking those non existant 'rools'. Its very tedious and not a good reflection on society just now.

AlexisCarringtonColbyDexter · 26/04/2020 15:46

There is a substantial portion of mumsnetters (and humans in general) who believe they are entitled to do what they want whenever they want, other people's well-being be damned

And there are a substantial portion of MeNs who take great joy and pleasure in scolding and criticising others for simply obeying government guidelines and not the rigid extra strict rules they have made up in their heads, other people's well being be damned.

Ive seen multiple threads where the OP has attempted to shame someone for doing something they consider to be "against the rules" and people have posted government rules which say actually, its perfectly fine. But they wont back down and continue to call people "murderers" for adding a chocolate bar or a bottle of wine to their weekly shop

Offred2 · 26/04/2020 15:47

Why does everyone assume that their norm is also the norm for everyone else? If you have a car, money, fridge & freezer space etc then shopping once a week (or even less often) may well make sense and be normal for you. And so you’ll carry on with a weekly essential shop now.

But a weekly shop is not the norm for everyone. Some people don’t drive, have low or irregular incomes, or simply prefer to food shop daily or maybe every few days. Therefore someone used to a daily small food shop could well have taken note of the guidance and has now changed to doing 2 or 3 shops a week. But someone who shops weekly may look at that person at think they are doing something wrong. Which they’re really not.

Offred2 · 26/04/2020 15:54

The whole point of the current guidance is to cut down people’s movement generally in order to slow the rate of virus transmission, so that that NHS can reorient as much as possible to treat those with Coronavirus. As long as everyone does generally do this e.g. makes 20% of the journeys they would have made otherwise then this will happen.

Unfortunately It feels like a lot of people are very ‘all or nothing’ and so you get these threads where people are basically angry because while they’ve cut their travel etc to 15% someone else has ‘only’ cut theirs to 25%.

madmumofteens · 26/04/2020 16:13

I shop for 2 x vulnerable families I shop for my MIL and I volunteer at the food bank so I am out more than once a week tell me OP do you help anybody??? Sick of judgemental people who sit back and do absolutely nothing but have plenty to say about others

midsomermurderess · 26/04/2020 16:18

I agree Offred. I only have a bike and go to my small Sainsburys every couple of days or so to get milk, cat food etc, and if I need a bigger shop, I go to the large Tesco a bit further away, once a week at most. And I aim to go out for a bit of a bike ride every day for fresh air and exercise.
More than some, less than others but it's what works for me. Being rigid and prescriptive about what works for other people isn't useful.