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Original poster

Do people think it’s over now?

371 replies

SpookyNoise · 21/06/2020 13:59

I’m surprised at how many people seem to think the lockdown is over and there is no threat from the virus. I’ve had a friend ask us over for dinner in their house, and my son has had a friend ask him over to play. We declined both invites, obviously. Has anyone else got friends who think it’s all over?

OP posts:
southeastdweller · 21/06/2020 15:17

It's been pretty much over for weeks. I do as I please anyway and have done since the start - I've got much more chance of getting killed by a car than I have of even getting infected with the virus. Life does indeed go on, the economy - the worst it's been for decades - has to get going again, and we need to find ways of living with the virus not shutting ourselves at home all the time.

ohthegoats · 21/06/2020 15:18

There is also a point where my needs matter to me more then what happens to society and some stranger down the road.

Which is why school staff have an opinion about being sent back to full time school with full classes. But no one quite sees it like that, apparently we should only think of society. Selfish twats that we are.

JinglingHellsBells · 21/06/2020 15:20

@IcedPurple well it IS obvious because the lockdown rules forbid it, unless the dinner is in the garden.

The R number is up to 1 in some areas (London has risen again) and it's teetering on the edge of increasing.

That's why there is a very cautious approach to loosening the lockdown.

Too many people are behaving as if it has gone away but they're being dim.

It's a balance we need to get the economy going but if you are over 50, or have any health issues, you might not want to get back in circulation quite as fast.

I imagine the demography of posters here is an age range of 30-45 (think the median for this site is early 40s.)

That's okay if you are but for me (over 60) it's more a case of being careful.

ohthegoats · 21/06/2020 15:20

Going into someone else's house is currently illegal and carries a £1000 fine.

Unless you work for the government, at which point you are just using your instinct.

GinnyStrupac · 21/06/2020 15:21

We are still playing by the rules and everyone we know is too.

It has seemed though that, since the government opened up travelling to beaches, National Parks and beauty spots, and then the Dominic Cummings fiascos, increasing numbers of people do think it's all over.

Derbygerbil · 21/06/2020 15:21

@southeastdweller

I’m glad most people aren’t as selfish as you. You are part of the problem and one of the reasons deaths in the U.K. are so high and restrictions haven’t been lifted faster, screwing our businesses yet further.

StarcourtMall · 21/06/2020 15:21

It’s all very confusing though. I can go to work and sit in an office for eight hours with my colleagues (over 2m between desks) but I can’t do that with friends / relatives?
I’m still following the rules - only meeting outdoors, keeping distance, no touching, washing hands, cleaning surfaces, etc but I can understand why people might make their own judgements.
Personally I think the 14 day quarantine and face masks should have been mandatory at the beginning of the pandemic, not the end. If we all maintain social distancing and good hygiene it should keep infections at bay in the general community I think?

IcedPurple · 21/06/2020 15:21

It's a balance we need to get the economy going but if you are over 50, or have any health issues, you might not want to get back in circulation quite as fast

I'm 50 and can't wait to get back to my normal life.

That's okay if you are but for me (over 60) it's more a case of being careful

And nobody's preventing you from being as careful as you wish, are they? However, you cannot expect others to put their lives and livelihoods on hold indefinitely.

JinglingHellsBells · 21/06/2020 15:22

@southeastdweller Has it ever crossed your mind that doing as you please might be spreading the virus?

Some of us have sacrificed so much- not seen children or parents for 4 months- and other people just do at they want and don't give a fuck about anyone else.

JinglingHellsBells · 21/06/2020 15:24

@IcedPurple I don't disagree. I can't wait to get back to normal though we never will- this will go on for some time yet with maybe a winter spike.

I took issue with your post about why it wasn't obvious that a dinner invitation was refused. `you didn't seem to understand it was only allowed to meet outside.

IcedPurple · 21/06/2020 15:24

@rosie39forever

Your 3 week old link does not provide any evidence that there are 'huge' numbers of asymptomatic Covid patients in the UK at present.

BlusteryLake · 21/06/2020 15:25

My children have outdoor play dates, which is allowed. One friend comes to our garden. We live in a semi so you can get down the side of the house without going in. They play in the garden for an hour then go home. That is allowed and they really enjoy it. I should add, they are 9 and 11 though so get social distancing.

RhianFuckingMorris · 21/06/2020 15:26

Do what's right for you. People are making up whatever shit to suit them.
Everyone seems to be making it up as they go along now.
Thanks to that Cummings twat, many people feel justified in assessing their own risk and making up their own rules.
Few people are following the guidelines/laws as they are intended and who can blame them.
It's an absolute shit show tbh.
Boris and his fickwits don't actually give a shit what happens to anyones heath. They're changing rules on everything as we need to get the country back up and running. What s best health wise has no bearing on any decisions or guidelines being made now. Just do what you feel best suits you. Everyone else is.

gingerbreadslice · 21/06/2020 15:26

@BluebellForest836 I know about 8 people 5 of them was my immediate family like my mum and dad but they was fine and recovered really well. Other than them I don't know anyone at all. You can see even the news is getting bored of it though as your starting to hear more "normalish" news now. Didn't think we'd ever hear anything more repetitive after all the brexit news Shock.

JinglingHellsBells · 21/06/2020 15:26

@IcedPurple I can be as careful as I want BUT if I want to do anything, my risk is increased by others not being as careful. That's been the whole point of lockdown. I'm not sure why you are being so touchy and can't discuss sensibly.

gingerbreadslice · 21/06/2020 15:28

I think pubs are opening within the next few weeks though aren't they and the 2m is being reduced this week also. All speculation but it will be welcome news!

rosie39forever · 21/06/2020 15:28

I can't wait to get back to normal either these last few months have been the hardest I've ever experienced (severely disabled dd,shielding dh) whilst trying to keep us financially afloat But I'm not going to do it at the expense of others be they family or strangers

MrsExpo · 21/06/2020 15:30

Well, the people on my close didn't get the memo for sure!!

I live in a close of 5 houses. Four of them have had visitors over the weekend. One, both sets of parents visited (their DDs birthday), one house has two other families staying over, so about 8 of them in there, one had her grown up DD staying for the w/e with her bf and the other had visitors who stayed outside until it started raining and they all went in. I despair!!

southeastdweller · 21/06/2020 15:31

I’m glad most people aren’t as selfish as you. You are part of the problem and one of the reasons deaths in the U.K. are so high and restrictions haven’t been lifted faster, screwing our businesses yet further.

No, the problem is that we have a shit government who were frightened by a rather dubious figure of 500,000 deaths that were forecast by Neil Ferguson and his team, and who don't give a fuck about millions of people's lives being destroyed because of implications of the lockdown. It's all been a massive overreaction that we'll be paying for, in many ways, for years if not decades.

JinglingHellsBells · 21/06/2020 15:31

Interesting attitudes here to 'doing as I like'. I wonder if people who 'do as they like' take the same attitude to other laws?

For example @southeastdweller, you do as you like you say and cite more risk of dying in a car accident (not so sure about that- 2K annual deaths is a lot fewer than Covid so far.) so would you take the ideas of cars and doing as you like to driving at 100mph on the M1, or 60 mph outside a school?

Is there any difference between breaking laws you choose to and not thinking of the impact on society?

IcedPurple · 21/06/2020 15:32

I can be as careful as I want BUT if I want to do anything, my risk is increased by others not being as careful. That's been the whole point of lockdown

Well, not really. Lockdown was mainly to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed. In that sense, it worked. With lockdown being eased, people are going to get back to their normal lives, with some restrictions remaining in place for the foreseeable.

I'm not sure why you are being so touchy and can't discuss sensibly

I'd say you're the one being touchy by making this all about you. You can't ask complete strangers to make sacrifices indefinitely.

Devlesko · 21/06/2020 15:33

You'd think so, the way some are behaving.
It is sad because whilst they themselves are low risk, those they infect may not be.

JinglingHellsBells · 21/06/2020 15:33

@southeastdweller How can you blame the government for being frightened by the (wrong) stats? What a ridiculous comment.

Yes the stats turned out to be wrong but hindsight is wonderful.

If they had not acted, you'd be the first to say they ignored the science!!!

Of course people like you should be in charge as you have all the answers.