Anyone feel like, “what was the fucking point?”

[OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow]

We’ve stuck to guidelines as I’m vulnerable and dh and ds are key workers. Today, on one of our usual walks, groups of people walking abreast down the middle of woodland paths (we pulled off the path), kids running down the path close behind people, joggers taking the middle of the path then coming home across a bridge about 3 metres wide (which has arrows telling you which side to walk on) a couple stood on the wrong side having a good long stare over the water. People were coming over the right side and we were waiting to go over the opposite way. In the end, dh went across the right side and asked them what they were playing at. “Well , you can get by can’t you?” Not very safely. It’s like people think the virus has just vanished because lockdowns been lifted a bit. And walking down the small Main Street home is like hopscotch.Sorry, I’ve tried to be as positive as I can, but this level of dickheadedness just makes me thing the sacrifices we’ve all made will be for naught.

Actually recent data shows most are still complying with the rules. The majority always have, yet you mumsnetters appear to know all these rule ‘breakers’. Some people aren’t sticking to it but like anything in life that’s to be expected, we were never going to get 100% compliance.

They also don’t think the virus transmits the same way outside, hence us being allowed to meet 1 person from another Household. So the chances of catching this virus from simply walking past someone is very unlikely indeed.

You can’t control others but if you are ‘vulnerable’ then you need to take extra precautions in order to protect yourself, you can control what you do and that may mean finding an emptier walking spot, going walking at a quiet time of day not midday on a weekend for example.

People are allowed out in England for as much exercise as they like
In Scotland & wales they are also allowed out to exercise
People are going to be outside I’m afraid 🤷🏻‍♀️

Is it too much to ask people to at least attempt to social distance? If it’s not possible (I.e. the path is too narrow) then fine but if you’re walking three abreast down the middle of a path in a busy area with no attempt to keep out of other people’s way, when it would be quite easy to do so, then imo you’re probably being selfish.

It’s not true that you’re not likely to catch the virus from walking past someone.

Walking past someone once- no, you won’t. But you only need 1,000 copies of the virus to get sick. That’s 100 people that walk past you and breath within 1m within 2 days of walk, each dispersing 10copies of virus. Or 10 people who have just coughed with that space. Or one person who coughed and touched a railing which you had to touch to get by and then you rub your eye.

It’s not fair to tell all the vulnerable people in the country that they can’t go for a fucking walk down the street. There are about 2-3 million extremely vulnerable and many more millions in the vulnerable category.
I would love to go out for walks especially as I need the exercise for a pregnancy complication. But I can’t because of selfish fuckers taking up the whole width of the pavement and runners going by and invading your space because they want to knock out a PB.

Sympathy, OP.

However- the entire aim of our feckless govt is to have us blaming each other for the situation and others for the crisis spreading. If the NHS can’t cope it’s because it was severely underfunded, staff over worked and underpaid for years. Let’s not forget that in the urge to point fingers.

The vulnerable do not need to stay in ffs. They are not shielded. Even shielded people have a choice ( not a great choice at all but it’s not law)

My friend sent me a picture of her cousin who was wearing a
NHS tshirt .

It was taken from facebook,all Look At Me,look what I bought I am supporting the NHS,stay home save lives etc

My friend is fuming....the picture wasnt taken in her own home and she has very clearly recently had lip fillers.

I went into ALDI yesterday. Hardly any staff or customers sticking to the two metre rule except at the checkouts. I had people lean over me, brushing me to to pick up the things I was taking off the shelf.

Official guidelines and reality are two different things now to been eased I feel. Dh is back to work full time as of last Monday too.

Not sure what to think. I’m not going to stress about it, just keep myself and family safe AND enjoy some freedom that everyone else is for my mental health in the period before the R doubles up again.

They think only 5% of the uk have had it. It’s going to be a long ride to herd immunity ( unless you belive we will all be vaccinated in the next six months). I need to balance my mental health. I have four young kids. I’m going to catch it EVENTUALLY. It will either kill me or not, regardless it’s tomorrow or in December.

The only thing we need to watch in NHS ICU capacity for our vulnerable, and I can’t control that, like I can’t control people having masses of friends over or brush against people constantly in Aldi.

It’s not fair to tell all the vulnerable people in the country that they can’t go for a fucking walk down the street. There are about 2-3 million extremely vulnerable and many more millions in the vulnerable category.

And it's not fair to force the other 60 odd million who are not in the vulnerable category to alter their entire lives for those who are in the 'vulnerable' category.

Basically I can be alert, I can’t make other people around me do the same, esp when then are choosing to come up behind me and physically brush past me.

If they don’t get it now, they never will. I refuse to get stressed about it as it’s a long, long road ahead and I can choose to stay safely at home if that was my priority.

My priority right now is my mental health as I can’t get through another “you must not travel except to work etc” without experiencing a snippet of normality with all the risks that come with it.

Vulnerable people like anyone else need to make an assessment as to what level of risk they are comfortable with. If people ignore social distancing rules (not very alert therefore) then that changes the level of risk that it involves to go for a walk, go to shops etc.

Remember that huge amounts of people are asymptomatic and shedding virus when they don’t know, or even if you become symptomatic you shed most virus when you have first been infected and before you show significant symptoms (that might cause you to stay home). How many people who have hayfever now have the sniffles and are self isolating for 14 days?

Prob not many. That’s why many vulnerable people are super cautious about not going out. I take walks about twice a week and try to aim for quieter times or crap weather when most stay in.

Honestly, you are not going to catch it walking past someone unless they cough in your face

But you can't tell if they're likely to do that, or abruptly sneeze. (The grass is starting to flower....)

Whether anyone thinks the OP is 'paranoid' rather than 'someone who has read enough about the subject to be cautious', there's simply no excuse for everyone who is out and about not to give everyone else as much space as possible. It does you no harm whatsoever to pull over to the far side of the path in single file, or wait before entering a pinch point if someone is coming through in the opposite direction. It might make a difference and will at least make others a bit more more comfortable.

Spreading all over the path is just bloody inconsiderate. Why do it? How does it benefit anyone?

We live somewhere rural and not a popular beauty spot ... around here the vast majority are being considerate and giving each other oodles of space. Far enough that we can exchange cheery greetings without any risk of spray. It's really not hard to do, and everyone is happier.

Yep the social distancing part of this is the easy part!

Not seeing family, working from home, home schooling, are hard.

Keeping your distance and being considerate on paths and roads- not bloody hard!

It’s not fair to tell all the vulnerable people in the country that they can’t go for a fucking walk down the street. There are about 2-3 million extremely vulnerable and many more millions in the vulnerable category.

I agree. It’s fucking disgusting reading comments from posters telling vulnerable people to either stay in or suck it up, when others aren’t complying with social distancing advice.

At a time when those who have had to spend their life with underlying conditions that already put them at risk of serious illness or even death, their fear has been increased by a pandemic. This is the time when society should be looking towards them, showing some compassion and saying we need to protect them. This is not the time to tell them to lock themselves away and stop complaining. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Remember how you have treated the vulnerable in society, when your turn comes, because it will. Either due to ill health, disability or old age.

Our population density is high. It's something like double that of France. We are therefore in a pretty bad position for covid.
I cannot see that it is going to do anything other than run rampant through the population.

I went cycling, which was a huge mistake. The world and his wife were out on bikes and nobody was making any effort to give a wide berth to other bikes on the track. So I won't be doing that again, but I have done it now.

I find people to be really well behaved wrt social distancing in places like Tesco and businesses that are operating carefully (eg you don't wait inside etc).

Don't know what the solution is. There are definitely too many of us in this country. France has the same number of people but is double the size. And then in parts of the country (eg London), people are living on top of eachother so it's even worse. Perhaps we need to start shipping millions of us off to Australia again!

If you are vulnerable then perhaps you shouldn't be out amongst people who you think are dickheads!
You are out and so are they. It's a warm day, it's the weekend. The nicer places to walk are going to be busy!
Either stop overreacting - they are passing you on a walk or stay home. Whinging on MN's net will not change what the people in your neighbourhood do.

Spot on, T0tally

This:

"highmarkingsnowmobile Sat 16-May-20 14:56:51
Person goes out to the park and then complains when other people have the same idea."

Indeed

If you are vulnerable then perhaps you shouldn't be out amongst people who you think are dickheads!

Or alternatively... encourage people not to be dickheads?

If some of you can't tell the difference between going out and behaving considerately, and going out and behaving unnecessarily inconsiderately ... it's pretty clear there's a problem and where it lies.

@ErrolTheDragon - exactly.

It’s not fair to tell all the vulnerable people in the country that they can’t go for a fucking walk down the street. There are about 2-3 million extremely vulnerable and many more millions in the vulnerable category

There unfortunately isn't another option.

Destroying (and potentially ending) the lives of the 64 million people isn't a reasonable trade off.

If you don't want to catch it, then its on you to stay at home.

It’s not that hard to stay 2m away from people surely? Not exactly a huge life changing adjustment vs telling millions they should never leave their houses again so you can get nice and cosy with strangers! Op wasn’t complaining about people being out but about people being inconsiderate.

Or alternatively... encourage people not to be dickheads?

Exactly! Vulnerable people can’t help being vulnerable, whereas dickheads can and should, change their behaviour.

Oh dear
"ErrolTheDragon Sat 16-May-20 15:44:45
Or alternatively... encourage people not to be dickheads?hmm"

Someone who says they are vulnerable complaining about others on walk being dickheads.... now how does she encourage them not to be dickheads ...post on MN - they will work!

Or he/she can whinge at everyone who comes too close to here. However she lives with 2 keyworkers so probably more likely to get it from them that outside in fresh air on a walk ... me thinks an excuse to just have a moan about all the naughty people out walking

The point of lockdown and social distancing to ensure that everyone who needed a ventilator got one.
The point of shielding is to ensure that the most vulnerable to the disease are the least likely to catch it.

If you're vulnerable, then you still need to be shielding, not going out and trusting to social distancing.

Vulnerable people can’t help being vulnerable

No, but they have to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.