Do people think it’s over now?

[SpookyNoise]

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?

@MrsExpo - how do you even know all of that? Do you always pry so much into what your neighbours do

@IcedPurple No it's not about me, bu t it is relevant that age increases risks. You made it all about you, by contradicting the OP! I am putting it in the context of society and I belong to it. so do you. what you do impacts on others.

I think most people are now taking more risks than the guidelines suggest, but it's partly because the idiot government keeps leaking what's coming next (eg relaxing of 2 metre rule) before we're there.

I'm high risk because I'm pregnant and I've got gestational diabetes. Because of that I can't return my toddler to nursery and I can't see many people.

I now feel like we're living in a 2 tier society and I feel left behind. I hate it.

According to my SM feeds, yes, everyone thinks it's over. I've seen hen parties, hot tub parties and BBQs. Everyone makes a point of saying 'socially distanced' but then in the next breath are showing videos of them dancing with arms around each other!

@user1752463586

Life goes on

Well, not for the people killed because someone self-centred passed the virus onto them. Or their loved ones.

The fact is that it will likely never be known where one person contracts the virus for most who do. There's nothing selfish about not wanting to be locked up. My child died from an illness that left her very immuno-compromised, from secondary infection. It could have come from anywhere, I didn't expect the rest of the world to go into lockdown and stay that way causing a huge recession and possibly depression and label people who wanted to live with some sort of normality as selfish just because we could not.

And life has gone. She's dead. And everyone else kept on living.

Selfish people will 'do as they please'

The rest of us will just have to hope that 'doing our bit' is enough to keep the transmission rates down.

Education has clearly been a problem for YEARS given how many people don't understand EXPONENTIAL or transmission.

It is sad because whilst they themselves are low risk, those they infect may not be.

They can only infect someone if they actually have it though and carry out behaviour that increases the risk.

@BluebellForest836 .... I have eyes, we live in a small cul-de-sac and it's hard to avoid all the comings and goings...... Added to which three of the households have mentioned their plans with me either before the event or over the last couple of days .... as in "Oh, Susie and her bf are coming up from London for the weekend" , or "sorry about the excess parking but we've got the family over this weekend" or "it's little Mary's birthday and granny is coming over..." ... etc etc.

Not prying (can't be bothered) ....... I talk to all four sets of neighbours when I see them ....

No, the problem is that we have a shit government who were frightened by a rather dubious figure of 500,000

42,000 deaths and 7% with antibodies... Do the maths and 500,000 isn’t dubious at all, and exactly what would have been the outcome of everyone was like you. You and I would likely have been fine, but that’s not the point. Your attitude is positively sociopathic.

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

Or maybe people are happy to follow laws that make sense, not some arbitrary rules that are different depending on which part of the uk you happen to live in and which were bought in to stop the NHS being overwhelmed which it did but now seem to be twisted to 'until the virus has gone' by a lot of people on MN.

@DisobedientHamster

I hear you.

@IcedPurple

We declined both invites, obviously

Unless you've got good reason to believe you or your friends are infected with the virus, then it isn't really obvious.

And while the virus does still pose a threat, it has to be seen alongside other threats and other priorities.

Surely it is obvious as we are not allowed to go into other people's houses?

@DisobedientHamster

I don't think so though I understand you being annoyed as I am very law-abiding and don't like it when people break rules.
But most people I know are still abiding by them, though I'm in a pretty wealthy area so it's probably easier to comply if you have a big garden and can work from home etc.
I'm sure a lot of people will quite rightly be making their own risk assessments though. Lockdown was sold as being to 'flatten the curve' and to allow time to get prepared. That happened weeks ago, and some people now feel that the balance has been lost between the risks of Covid versus the risks of other things (eg other physical health concerns, loneliness, mental health problems, obesity, the economy, education etc etc).
Covid isn't going anywhere and there are probably other pandemics around the corner unless we entirely change our relationship with nature, so we are all going to have to learn to risk assess and live with new illnesses.
But in terms of the actual risks of Covid, they are low for most, especially when community transmission is so low. And of course the R number becomes more prone to peaks and troughs the fewer cases there are. So I understand your annoyance but I'd say there isn't too much reason to feel anxious.

Or maybe people are happy to follow laws that make sense, not some arbitrary rules that are different depending on which part of the uk you happen to live in

So how do you decide which laws make sense? Each person decides what suits them?

Oh I think it's fine to commit murder. or deal in heroin. No, come on mate, it's Fine. Speed limits? Nah, I'm a good driver, can steer my way out of trouble.

If that is how you want to live, get yourself off to a lawless country.

In the UK we have laws. In Wales and Scotland and Ireland they have their own. Deal with that at the ballot box. Nicola Sturgeon is the one to talk to, as she likes Scotland to have its own laws.

I'm back to normal

My normal is occasional shop visits (mostly click and collect). See my daughter (wfh and shopping only), my son (wfh, lives with GF and shopping only) and one set of friends (retired, shopping only)

The odds against me catching, having or spreading it are lower by far than winning the lottery.

People who think they are better than others because they are following some random social distancing are really just missing out an even bigger part of life than they need to. And nobody who is doing their own realistic risk assessments cares a jot about their 'holier than thou stance'.

And our police force aren't in any position to police families and friends going to each other's houses unless there are huge gatherings. The one thing I am not worried about is getting a fine if I go in a freind's house rather than stay in the garden.

DisobedientHamster. So sorry. Not even in the same league as a child's death at all so I'm not comparing, but I found one of the oddest things after my dad died was that life just carried on around me. Felt like a parallel universe.

@DisobedientHamster sorry for your loss

@ButterMeCrumpets

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

Or maybe people are happy to follow laws that make sense, not some arbitrary rules that are different depending on which part of the uk you happen to live in and which were bought in to stop the NHS being overwhelmed which it did but now seem to be twisted to 'until the virus has gone' by a lot of people on MN.

Agree with everything you've said!!

The air is full of flying glass - RTCs, cycling accidents, cancer, heart disease, sudden illnesses of all sorts, falling off ladders, drowning, everything is a risk and this is just another one into the mix. It's another shard of flying glass.

So how do you decide which laws make sense? Each person decides what suits them?

Oh I think it's fine to commit murder. or deal in heroin. No, come on mate, it's Fine. Speed limits? Nah, I'm a good driver, can steer my way out of trouble.

Are you really comparing meeting up outside with 8 people than 6 or driving 5.5 miles away instead of 5 with murder or dealing drugs ?

"If it’s fine for people to have their cleaner in to clean their house (which is allowed) then logic should tell you it should also be fine to have your friend or mum visit your house"

Unfortunately this is what passes for logic these days and I've seen 100s of variations.

"if people can go to work why can't they go to a party"

"if kids can go to school why can't they play on the swings etc in the park"

It's not really worth explaining it to them again as it goes way over their heads.

Why are you observing Guidelines? Unless your not the smartest tool in the box it is clear the virus lockdown was a disastrous mistake. It’s fine to follow Guidelines if your Unable to use the brain given to you but that’s not how I want to live.

No it's not about me, bu t it is relevant that age increases risks

There will always be people more at risk from certain illnesses than others. However, we don't normally ask those who are at low risk to put their lives on hold indefinitely to protect them.

I am putting it in the context of society and I belong to it. so do you. what you do impacts on others

Yes and as I said above, that society cannot survive without people out there seeing their loved ones, making money, paying taxes and basically ensuring that life goes on. Life is full of risks, including the risks of having non Covid medical conditions ignored or having thousands lose their jobs. Covid is indeed a risk, but it cannot be fetishised at the cost of so much else.

@Cusano34

Also, most of my family are in Italy and it’s been really strange to see their photos in bars and restaurants, days at the beach, allowed into other peoples houses, gatherings indoors etc it actually makes me feel a bit anxious just looking at it...! Although they did a proper lockdown for a long time before they started to open up which is what I think we should have done in this country

“Although they did it proper lockdown for a long time...” Is that where they locked little children up in flats, for week after week after week? While the British Government allowed children out for short periods of time. the soft gits.

The Mental Health helpline in Italy went through the roof with 24/7 desperate calls. In my opinion that “proper” lockdown was barbaric and cruel