Photos of friends on social media with their arms around family/friends

[ke002]

I don't believe I'm wrong in understanding that rules are still in place to practice social distancing with everyone outside your household/bubble.... So I feel so frustrated seeing friends/extended family (cousins, uncles) posting photos on social media with their arms around their family and friends, heads close together, etc. I'm not talking about with people they are in a bubble with. One friend posted photos of her family on holiday with both her parents-in-law plus her sister-in-law and her family and they're in photos all very close together.
My Mum asked me last week if we can start hugging and I really thought carefully about it and said no. She cried about it but I know it's the right decision but it's like a kick in the teeth seeing friends photos.
I worked on a Covid High Dependency Unit for the first 3 months and I truly feel broken by my experiences. I do not want to go back there.

I figure the people who do this are doing me a favour. Colleagues in particular. I'm "extremely clinically vulnerable" and just back at work after shielding. I don't think my colleagues quite get it. It's almost impossible to social distance in our jobs and I'm finding that by them posting all this on social media, I know who to avoid. And don't even get me started on the incorrect wearing of masks (we work in a medical field, it should be second nature!)

Ironic really as the main culprits are the ones who refused to work during lockdown in order to keep their kids safe.

I think many people are doing a kind of pick n mix lockdown now.

Socially distancing from strangers but seeing family and friends whenever and wherever they want.

I wonder if people will change their behaviour if schools have to close again?

We went to see our 100 year old grandparent yesterday, and all hugged each other. Specific request from the 100 year old person. She's had enough.

I wonder if people will change their behaviour if schools have to close again?

I would change my behaviour if my children were currently at school - because then I'll have no control over who they're mixing with, so their chances of being carriers will go up, as will the rest of the family's. So from September, I guess we'll be doing less hugging of grandparents. It's precisely WHY we're hugging people now. Right now, my children and my family are at a low risk of catching or spreading COVID-19 - we're in a low-risk area, we're mixing very infrequently with different people/households, and the people we're mixing with are also very low risk due to their own behaviour/risk profile. Come September, with schools returning, more people returning to offices, autumn viruses circulating and everyone being indoors more, it all feels like it will be more risky.

I cannot be the only person who is 'making hay whilst the sun shines'.

I totally disagree that anyone in particular is low risk but that is my personal opinion. I just feel that of course we all want to hug family etc but all the mixing now is not going to help anyone come September. Lockdown came far to late and eased far too soon and I think for all the deaths it is disrespectful to see people acting as though the virus is disappearing. Just my thoughts.

@rockybooboo no one is saying to isolate just stay 2m apart. You can't just sit in your friend or family's gardens without touching them?

@Mrscaindingle that's so sad. I'm sorry to hear of your loss.

@beanbaggo the number of inpatients are low enough to mean that those of us who were redeployed can return to our original roles. I work in an area with a very low number of Covid cases.

I've done this once with 5 friends. We got very drunk and we all lapsed but were mostly outdoors. I have been one of the most paranoid and careful about Covid, didn't go to a shop until 3 weeks ago. Cases are low in my area. People seem to think that because they've seen me do it once in photos that this is my approach to daily life and distancing. I'm cancelling further social events as the judgement spoils the enjoyment afterwards, even if you have distanced people still assume you didn't because some photos can be deceiving in space between people. (I. E I have a photo where there is a table between me and a friend but we still look much closer because of the angle.

@Harencha

I've done this once with 5 friends. We got very drunk and we all lapsed but were mostly outdoors. I have been one of the most paranoid and careful about Covid, didn't go to a shop until 3 weeks ago. Cases are low in my area. People seem to think that because they've seen me do it once in photos that this is my approach to daily life and distancing. I'm cancelling further social events as the judgement spoils the enjoyment afterwards, even if you have distanced people still assume you didn't because some photos can be deceiving in space between people. (I. E I have a photo where there is a table between me and a friend but we still look much closer because of the angle.

Perhaps the answer (to this as with so many other things) is to just not post photos, then no one can judge!

@Harencha

I've done this once with 5 friends. We got very drunk and we all lapsed but were mostly outdoors. I have been one of the most paranoid and careful about Covid, didn't go to a shop until 3 weeks ago. Cases are low in my area. People seem to think that because they've seen me do it once in photos that this is my approach to daily life and distancing. I'm cancelling further social events as the judgement spoils the enjoyment afterwards, even if you have distanced people still assume you didn't because some photos can be deceiving in space between people. (I. E I have a photo where there is a table between me and a friend but we still look much closer because of the angle.

You're right. Thank you so much for the reminder as that makes me feel better 😁 That sounds really sarcastic but it's not! I guess (hope) that even those who have openly said on this thread that they are mixing, hugging, etc with others, are still practising social distancing in other ways.

Perhaps the answer (to this as with so many other things) is to just not post photos, then no one can judge!

There is a easier answer which is not to judge, and mind your own business.

@HeresMe your answer made me laugh as this whole situation is actually everyone's business. Hypothetically, if I pass Coronavirus onto my Mum and she unwittingly passes it on to the man working in her village shop who's wife is vulnerable then my behaviour has become their problem and their business. If the wife is then admitted to hospital critically unwell with Covid-19 and the only people she sees in the final days and moments of her life, including her next of kin who may or may not be allowed to visit before she passes away, are all in full Level 2 PPE so that only their eyes are visible (this really is not how the end of life should be 😞), adding to the upset of everyone involved in her care, not to mention the risk to them, then my behaviour now becomes their business too. It is not unreasonable for anyone to feel frustrated by others lack of social distancing. And before anyone says it I know that this hypothetical situation could equally involve someone becoming depressed and suicidal due to loneliness, isolation, etc.

@HeresMe your answer made me laugh as this whole situation is actually everyone's business.

Except it isn't people keep posting this but if you follow all the rules and distance you should be fine irrelevant to any bullshit or what ever people do.

I understand the rules perfectly. I've followed them since March. Like you OP, I too was getting very annoyed at the lack of distancing displayed over social media.

Today, I hugged my parents for the first time in months. My dad cried. It's at that point I realised that you create your own risk assessments. He needs the love and whereas I've been thinking I've been protecting him, staying away may have impacted on his mental health.

It’s incredibly hard we are in a really low case area and it “feels” like no one is really doing the distancing anymore or have made large multi household bubbles. I completely understand everyone’s mental health especially children’s is so important. I’ve just been reading off the gov.uk what you can and can’t do.

@HeresMe

Perhaps the answer (to this as with so many other things) is to just not post photos, then no one can judge!

There is a easier answer which is not to judge, and mind your own business.

Well I'm not judging but the op seemed very worried about judgement so it seems obvious to not put yourself in the way of it!

@vake

I had just assumed they were in a bubble with you. All my friends are with other at work, family members and kids at nursery and kids have to go to friends and family for childcare, so just thought that must be ok as a bubble. I don't think anyone I know understands how bubbles work really

Assuming they are in England, how do they not understand how bubbles work? It was all over the news when it was announced. If a person is the only adult in their household they are allowed to form a support bubble with one other household and don't need to socially distance from them. A support bubble can only be two households and one of them must be a single adult household. It's not called a social bubble, as some seem to call it, you can't have a bubble of more than two household and you can't have a bubble if both households have more than one adult in them.

If you meet up with anyone who isn't in your support bubble, you should social distancr from them.

@manicinsomniac

No, vake - you can meet 5 other people but must stay 2m apart where possible and 1m apart where you can't manage 2. You shouldn't be having close physical contact.

One metre plus.. If you wear a mask you only need to 1m away otherwise its 2 metres

Does my head in

It’s not a big breach I guess but it’s all the smaller breaches that risk this surging back

And I see the fact kids are at school without SD as more reason to stick to the rules not less! If my kid brings Covid home at least if I SD from my wider family and friends it minimises me passing it to them! Is it not about minimising numbers of close contacts overall?

[quote mintich]@rockybooboo no one is saying to isolate just stay 2m apart. You can't just sit in your friend or family's gardens without touching them? [/quote]
No. I don't want to so-called live like that and I don't have any friends or family who do, either. You do you, and others will do them. Social distancing doesn't work with humans, they're social animals, hard wired to touch and be close.

The virus isn't going anywhere. It's here to stay at least for a while. Lockdowns won't work anymore. People are fed up. So choose how you want to live and crack on with it.

Find it fucking ridiculous to not touch your own bloody family after nearly 6 months. Nope, not gonna happen.

It's going to come back. The goal was never to eradicate it because that's not possible just now. Had enough of bloody 'social distancing' with adults I love who feel the same. It's no way to exist, IMO.

@HeresMe

Perhaps the answer (to this as with so many other things) is to just not post photos, then no one can judge!

There is a easier answer which is not to judge, and mind your own business.

Exactly!

Social distancing is over. No one does it now. Less people are wearing masks in shops than they were, olay areas are re opening now. If there was a real concern they wouldn't open. Everyone knows children are grotty and breed all the bugs so they must think we are past it now 👍🏽 so don't wear a mask and hug anyone you want now