Honestly who’s broken lockdown at least once?

[Madwife123]

I’ll start by saying I have. I’m NHS staff so have been back and to at work anyway but my sisters baby was stillborn and so I broke the lockdown to visit her, she needed it and I felt it was more important at that time than the coronavirus risk. In fact her mental health team suggested it so no guilt and no regrets.

I imagine many of us have had situations where they have done the same for various reasons? Which makes me wonder how effective it really has been.

Depends on how you interpret things. Dh has been delivering shopping to his parents who are in their 80s. Almost every time he goes they have some kind of issue that he can't help them with from the doorstep, usually tv or broadband related. Whether this is essential depends on how you look at it. Beimg isolated with no tv or Internet would be pretty difficult for them from a mental health perspective. They don't hug, don't sit together and stay 2m apart as best they can.
I went out for a second walk with teen ds who was really struggling that day. He needed that time away from the rest of the household and time to talk. It was the best way to respond to his emotional needs at the time.

I have legitimate reasons to drive several times a week, but have taken a slightly 'longer-than-necessary' route home a couple of times just to put my foot down a bit. I've walked with, or sat with someone in a garden at distance, a handful of times.
OP I am so sorry to hear about your sister's loss.

I am shopping every day pretty much for 3 other (shielded) households as well as my own. I am also a volunteer in my village to help people pick up
Prescriptions, post, deliver stuff etc. My husband is a key worker ( food industry) and I WFH. When out I am so so strict with gloves, masks, hand gel etc as I have to ensure I don't pick it up and pass it on to any of the people I help.

Sunday is my mums birthday. I am going to her garden to sit and chat and drink a glass of champagne with her at a distance. She is lonely as hell
But stoic. We will talk about her plants and the robin nesting in her shed. 😊

i would absolutely break lockdown under those circumstance ❤️

i've taken my kids to see my family in our (private) field so not at either of our houses and not in a public place.

@Weetam68, so are you for or against people prioritising mental health over following vague rules? Your post could be interpreted either way.

The OP's situation doesn't break the guidance, neither do many others.

I break it by not shielding. I need to provide childcare. I do less because my eldest DD and their Father can help out more, but I travel on public transport and do overnight care. I had a hold of a friend's 18 month old who I bumped into. She toddled over and asked to be picked up. I went home, wash my hands and I live in PJs so there wasn't a risk of transmission.

Yes , a couple of weeks ago I had to take ds (6) to my mum's and we stayed for a week .
I had extreme pain and bleeding and ds was scared ( as was I) ,I did think twice but thought I might have to call an ambulance.
My gp thinks its endometriosis related.

I give someone a lift into work. Technically breaking lockdown rules but seeing as I’m spending 8 hrs with her and can’t social distance, I’m fine with that

@Magissa I’m sorry for your dads death. I hope you don’t think I’m being picky but you said “Not a funeral guest but one of my father's carers who came to see the funeral off” and I just wanted to say that as his carer she was very much a funeral guest. What I mean is I can assure you she will have cared on an employment basis for your dad, yes... but I am certain she will have also cared on a personal level. Possibly more than many people in his life who perhaps hadn’t seen him for years. I worked in a care setting for just one month last year with less than 20 patients and even now I find myself worrying about them and wondering if they are okay, if any have been ill etc. They touched my life. As your dad will have touched his carers.
Please try not to worry too much about becoming ill yourself as I am sure that any risk will have been minimal.

I’ve broken lots. I’m not sorry. I’ve not increased anyone’s individual risk by my actions and my choices but to me I’ve made the right decisions for my family and their wellbeing.

@Weetam68 what do you mean by your post?

I’ve been out twice some days as I have taken DD for a walk and she’s a pain in the arse teenager who won’t walk far or fast (like I want to do).

I know of someone who drove 200 miles to give her parents some pregnancy news. Apparently a phone call wasn’t good enough.

I’ve been out to exercise more than once a day a few times - I usually do zoom HIIT classes at home but a few times I’ve been out for a run and then taken DS out for a walk later

@Isadora2007 yes I'm sure the person was very caring but she still shouldn't have been hugging anyone. Is she deranged?

We haven't. We haven't seen anyone other than our household and haven't left the house or garden except for short local walks. We are lucky however that we have no circumstances that would make it difficult to lockdown - we have a big house and garden with no neighbours and everyone is in good mental health.
Our lockdown as a country has been very lax and open to interpretation, hence the difficulty in getting infections and deaths under control. We should have increased restrictions 3 weeks ago but I think this is a deliberate policy to pursue herd immunity by stealth.

We are 0.5 miles from the nearest village. We started to walk in once a twice a week with the kids when we realised the DC were starting to get anxious about seeing people. We stop by a friend's house and have a socially chat on their drive each time, which is really helping DC.

Yes, I meet friends (individually) in the park for a drink and a chat and also take the DC to spend time with my parents in their garden (more than 2m distance maintained).

I go to work everyday so don't really feel locked down anyway - life feels reasonably normal. Also, I had confirmed Covid six weeks ago and rightly or wrongly that has made me feel a bit more relaxed. I know that immunity has not been confirmed but I also don't think that there have been any known cases of reinfection yet.

I go to the supermarket probably 3 times a week sometimes, but I live 30 seconds away so its easy for me to pop in when its quiet. I also went to stay at my mum's (empty) flat for a week to clear it out and arrange for the furniture to be picked up by a charity (the guy came round and was rubbish at 2 metre distancing, I was constantly stepping away) as she's moved into a care home. I consider that helping a vulnerable person though. I got the train both ways and both were empty (& the stations) - some of the nicest journeys I've had!

I haven't. I go for the occasional run locally and drive into town to do the food shopping every week or ten days or so.

DH has only been out of the house once, to see his doctor, since the middle of March.

I thought we were allowed out once or twice a week for shopping anyway?

We have. We had a family emergency a few weeks back where social services got involved with my sister. My husband and I had to go and get her toddler to avoid foster care but to do so, I had to get my sister in law over to watch my kids. She's been furloughed and lives alone so minimal risk in my eyes. She has since come over a few times to help with the kids (all under 3).
It drives me mad all these curtain twitchers posting on Facebook etc when they literally don't know anyone's situation.

No not once. I'm very vulnerable due to several health issues but not on the shielding list, and this week was the first time I ventured out of the house at all since 16th March as I started the couch to 5 k programme because I've put loads of weight on. I have been walking and running at 5am and coming straight home and staying at home.

Eldest has had a mate in the garden a couple of times. I’ve not always shopped for essentials.

I've exercised twice a day a couple of times in the last week apart from that no , and I've not seen anyone outside my household unless you want to count my in-laws while dropping shopping off .

I really don’t understand people meeting up with friends, even if they are 2m away and going to sit it families gardens.

The guidelines are to not mix households, it’s really quite clear.

My baby was born the week before lockdown, I’m desperate for him to meet my family and have support from parents. But I would not break the guidelines putting people at risk.
I don’t think people understand how it spreads. You may only see 1 other household, but they may then see another etc etc. It’s easy to see how it spreads.

I do believe that extreme circumstances may benefit from visits (original OP) death in the family etc.
STAY AT HOME!!!

I went to the corner shop just because I fancied an ice cream.

@Weetam68 have you had an empathy bypass or were you born like it? Mental health is just as important as physical health.

💐 to everyone who had lost someone