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Covid

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Original poster

"Contact clusters" - how is this actually going to work?

119 replies

Freethefrogs · 27/04/2020 16:23

I keep seeing this idea mentioned as a possible way of easing the lockdown when it's safe to do so, as in choosing 10 or so people you can see rather than just your household. I can see how this might work if you're a very small nuclear family and have no desire to see any extended family, but for many others it will be almost impossible to execute. Take, for example, my own family situation. I live with my DH and our five year old. Both our parents are divorced and remarried. Both step parents on both sides have children of their own. We all get along brilliantly and see grandparents (all in their 50s, none vulnerable) 2-3 times a week. I have two siblings still living at home with my mum and stepdad. One of them has a girlfriend he doesn't live with. Her parents are also divorced.

I just can't get my head round how it would work. Like, even if I chose to see my mum only, and not my dad, well she lives with my stepdad, who will want to see his own children, who will want to see their own mother, who lives with her husband, who will also want to see his own children.

I'm one of five siblings so even at a small family gathering of immediate family only, 10 would be far exceeded!

Anyone else been thinking about this?

OP posts:

SnuggyBuggy · 27/04/2020 17:23

From a selfish point of view our family aren't local. We have a good network of friends nearby but they have family nearer and would prioritise them. We'd be left out which would suck.

Nearlyoldenoughtowearpurple · 27/04/2020 17:31

It feels like standing in that line waiting to get picked for the rounders team when you were useless at sports! 🤣

SeriousSerendipity · 27/04/2020 17:35

My understanding is that if everyone limits their social links to 10 then it kind of contains the potential rates of transmission rather than say everyone going to parties, pubs, festivals etc and mixing our social contact.

Redlocks28 · 27/04/2020 17:36

How does it work if you’re still going to work though? If I’m going off to work and mixing with x number of different people every day, and have my parents in my ‘bubble’, I’ll be exposing them to all the people I come into contact with?

SeriousSerendipity · 27/04/2020 17:36

It’s not feasible to have a contained social group of 10 as everyone will have a different close ‘friends and family’ list

notalwaysalondoner · 27/04/2020 17:37

I think maybe if it’s 10 you can socialise with “normally” but maybe that you’re still able to see others if you stay 2m apart it could work. Otherwise no way - there are 6 of us in our house alone, even if we only extended to my mum’s sister she has 2 adult children each with partner and children so we’d already be over the limit... maybe it’s more to support people who live alone or couples...?!

Original poster

Freethefrogs · 27/04/2020 17:37

SeriousSerendipity

Yes I get the why just not the how

OP posts:

SeriousSerendipity · 27/04/2020 17:38

Well I’m guessing you’re not hugging and kissing people at work and are able to practise social distancing.

It’s not intended to be at the same level as we are in now. It’s phasing social contact back in gradually

Original poster

Freethefrogs · 27/04/2020 17:38

Redlocks28

Yes I wondered the same

OP posts:

StrawberryBlondeStar · 27/04/2020 17:42

The suggestion in the papers was that it could also be used as a way to share childcare.

Original poster

Freethefrogs · 27/04/2020 17:43

I've no need for shared childcare, just want to see my family.

OP posts:

justasking111 · 27/04/2020 17:43

Just our immediate family 12, I was pondering on this. We are all at home, not working so do I choose between one son and his family or the other son and his family. It is hard.

Tulipstulips · 27/04/2020 17:44

I can’t see how it will really restrict the spread unless you’re in a very small nuclear family group. For instance, my auntie and uncle would almost certainly just want to see their two daughters, two sons-in-law and two granddaughters. So that seems nice and tidy. Except presumably the sons-in-law will want to see their parents too... and those parents will want to see their other children and grandchildren... and before you know where you are, you might as well be seeing everyone in your extended family and friendship group.

And we don’t live in the same town as any of our relatives - so would we be allowed to drive 60 miles to see our parents? I doubt it. And all of our friends will probably want to chose their family as part of their social bubble...

eleventy3isthemagicnumber · 27/04/2020 17:47

I don't see how it would work as we're a tiny family.

My immediate family is simply my 2 DC, DP, my mum and sister.

If we just saw them, it'd be a small pod.

But then DP has a mother and sibling too. And his mother has a sister and she has a husband. Her sister has children who are married with DC.

And my own sister's married. Her husband has parents and 3 siblings, all of the siblings are married and some have DC. So we're well over 10 now. And the married partners have families and so on.

The only way this could work would be if my sister didn't see my mum, only me. And we don't see DP's mum or she doesn't see her sister. Else we're channels to the rest of society.

Never going to work!

Tonemeth · 27/04/2020 17:50

I think its going to cause mayhem between people not understanding and people pretending to misunderstand. Then there's the people who get it but their relatives don't so fallouts will start.

Original poster

Freethefrogs · 27/04/2020 17:55

I don't think it is a question of understanding.

OP posts:

Tonemeth · 27/04/2020 17:58

Free I think it will be. As further up the thread someone has said about seeing their 10 and them seeing their 10 etc. There will be some people who genuinely think they can see 10 people and those people can see their 10. They wont get that your 10 can see each other and noone else. There are people who still dont grasp lockdown!

I dont think this is it until a vaccine though. This seems to be a first step.

Teacher12345 · 27/04/2020 18:00

You would have to prioritise which would be very hard but we could do it easily if it means 10 people outside your household.

Both me and DH parents plus 2 friends each would be it for us olus my one sister who has no children.

Original poster

Freethefrogs · 27/04/2020 18:00

But Tonemoth, I completely understand how it is meant to work, I just don't see how it is possible for it to work in some family set ups. The nature of my family means that it would be physically impossible to limit it to ten people. I would have to not see them at all, which I'm not prepared to do.

OP posts:

RichardMarxisinnocent · 27/04/2020 18:00

You'd all have to choose eachother. Everyone has to be happy with the other 9 people being their only contacts, to make a closed circle rather than a chain.

Well I would end up only being able to see my boyfriend then, and none of my friends. Or one friend and their immediate family and not my boyfriend. My family live hundreds of miles away and I only see them once or twice a year so no point adding them.

I am not one of those people who has group of friends who all know each other, none of my friends know each other, so I couldn't form a closed circle with them, as they wouldn't want to socialise with each other.

If I choose my boyfriend, he is unlikely to want to have my friends who live an hour away and he isn't that close to, instead of his own family or friends who live much closer, in our circle and they may not want to be in it either when they have friends and family of their own they want to see. And vice versa if I chose a friend and their husband and children.

OutwiththeOutCrowd · 27/04/2020 18:02

If things went wrong, could you decluster, enter a quarantine period, and then recluster with other people?

RichardMarxisinnocent · 27/04/2020 18:04

But looking at the positive side, as I live alone and and am wfh I haven't seen in person anyone I care about since before lockdown, and am lonely, missing company and craving a hug, so even if I can't have a circle of ten, I will be happy being able to see just one person I love.

Starrynightsabove · 27/04/2020 18:07

It’s completely unworkable. I don’t have family close by so would be doing this with friends. How on Earth does one negotiate the closed circle of 10 with different friendship circles. What if I want to see Roger but Roger doesn’t want to see me. It’s a social nightmare and very stressful

EasyLifer · 27/04/2020 18:12

I think "who shall we have in our cluster" will become the new "who shall we spend Christmas day with" or "who will be on the top table at the wedding" and there will be lots of tears and dramas!

Tonemeth · 27/04/2020 18:14

Freethefrogs oh I see! I dont think it will work either - both because it's just unworkable but with the added bonus of people not understanding.

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