Anyone else just worn down by illogic?

[CountessFrog]

Examples of completely illogical ‘roolz’ everywhere - they give me ‘rule fatigue.’ I may even have reached ‘Peak Roolz.’

For example. On holiday last week I entered a shop that apparently had a one way system. It was a small shop, and because everyone was directed left on arrival, they had crowded into a narrow area in the left, thus ensuring no social distancing.

I didn’t know about the one way system, so I noticed the crowd on the left and headed to the right of the shop to browse and stay away from people. The shop assistant shouted that I wasn’t following the one way system And I needed to join the crowd in the left (I left after that).

Second example. In same small seaside town, We were there for two weeks. On our last night we went to a chippy on the seafront that we’d used three times already. They only accepted cards. They made you queue outside, allowing one customer in at a time. Fair enough.

However On this occasion they were now ‘cash only.’ I had no cash, so I asked to place my order and go to the cash point or find DH who I knew to have cash.

They refused this. When I returned with the cash, the shop was empty so I went in. But silly me, I was still breaking ‘the roolz’ Because they had another (less obvious rule) that you couldn’t go in if they were busy doing something. So she was busy battering fish, and this meant I wasn’t allowed in. Because any fule know that’s a dangerous situation.

Ice cream shop where you had to wait outside and stand behind a line when they let you in. Couldn’t see the ice cream flavours from behind the line. Was allowed to ‘step forward two paces.’ Second time I visited, whole family in the shop, primary aged children literally licking the glass counter. No objections raised

I’m totally over the roolz. Anyone else?

I hear ya. I am unsure about how much difference many of these rules in shops and things are really making, although I am complying with them without making too much fuss. I bought some make up today and was asked to take my mask off so I could test it. I had to put it back on to go to the till though. There are signs all over the London Underground talking about social distancing; yet lots of stations are on reduced service/closed at certain times - surely making it busier on the trains and stations which are operational?

It will be absolutely fascinating to look back and see what made a difference; what was overkill and what we under reacted to and what should have happened sooner. It is utterly tiresome to live through it though.

It’s very tiresome!

Staggered school drop offs with 45 minutes to wait between dropping children. Which will encourage adults to congregate. Another ‘rool’

Due to the risk of teachers spreading covid, we cannot make a coffee in the staffroom. Not even if we drink it outside.

We can, however, stand and gaze longingly at the kettle while using the photocopier in the staffroom.

I find one way systems so stressful, sucked any joy out of shopping. I got told off for standing on the wrong floor sticker, it was the round ones not the square. How could I not know🤣🤣

We went to a restaurant where the toilets were one in, one out. 4 cubicles behind one door, 3 closed off. You couldn’t see if anyone was in there so had to open the door anyway and it just led to a queue on a narrow corridor! How is that better!

They were floor to ceiling cubicles so no real risk.

@CountessFrog

It’s very tiresome!

Staggered school drop offs with 45 minutes to wait between dropping children. Which will encourage adults to congregate. Another ‘rool’

I have half an hour at drop off and pick up between my kids. 5 hours a week stood on the yard with a baby. Can't wait 😭

I don't even mind the new rules that much - as long as they are explained clearly. What I hate is shops with no signs up for one way/special queuing system and a shouty staff member telling you off for not following a rule that you couldn't possibly know about.

Camping trip. Every second toilet and shower closed off. Causing queues. Every second sink closed off... But still only one soap dispenser. Hair dryers turned off. And the whole toilet block closed for two ninety minute periods for cleaning. While I'm happy they were taking precautions, no toilets for 3hrs a day was very tricky.

And pizza hut. Order online while sitting at a table in the restaurant. Staff having to help people navigate the website. Plus what about those without smartphones?

Public toilets at beach... one in one out system which didn't allow for family/household groups to go in together making queue three times as long as it needed to be, causing much more mingling as queue backed up to crossover with queue for parking machine and beach shop. Beach itself was pretty quiet, everyone was queueing!

Just to say, I'm loving this thread. Roolz and signs! I get sign fatigue as well. About 10 signs related to Covid rules on the windows of a small bakery in my local town the other day. Can hardly see into the windows to guage how many people are in there so you don't break rule no 1 which is the no more than 3 rule.

Oh god yes.

At our school and nursery (same building) they have closed two of the main gates filtering hundreds of children through another 2 tiny gates instead and meaning that parents are waiting in huge groups outside 2 gates instead of being able to spread out over 4.

The other school in town is even worse they only have one gate open but its ok because on the tiny path up to the school they have spray painted colourful arrows on the ground to let the small children know exactly what part of the tiny path they have to walk on. P1&2 on the yellow, p3&4 on the green etc....I mean the path is like two foot wide, why not just use the other bloody gates!

Tkmaxx have rule enforcers in hi viz jackets standing around in menacing groups to check that you're following rools and discuss with each other what to do if you infringe them. Signs everywhere to not touch anything in a place that's more like a jumble sale and needs you to get stuck in there if you're to find anything worthwhile.

Empty outdoor shopping places with people to make sure you walk on the correct side so that you don't bump into invisible people.

I was also in the uniform shop yesterday and they had a sign saying only 6 allowed in. Only there was nobody on the door to monitor this so until you actually went in you had no idea how many were in. I was paying at the counter and a man walked in who was bellowed at very rudely to leave as there was already 6 in. How was he meant to know? I was paying so would have been leaving in a minute and it was pissing down. Slightly OTT.
I also went to register the birth of my baby (finally) the other day. Instead of the usual office, we had to go into the wedding reception room which was massive. We had to sit on two chairs right in the middle of the room miles away from the desk she was sitting at with a massive screen up. She couldn't hear us give the details with our masks on and we had to shout. Everything is such a faff

Someone should be putting these examples on you tube, its like common sense has left the building. Surely if mask wearing is supposed to be effective to any degree then why do we need a one way system or toilets blocked off causing more queues and crowd gathering. Also how safe is a mask that has been worn all week, i am not convinced that most people will be changing / washing them daily.

I’m so with you. I think a lot of risk assessments have been written by people with no clue what they are doing and a hard-on for getting people to do what they’re told.

So many systems that bunch people together to obey an arbitrary one way system, rules which require telepathy to understand, and ways of working which are complicated to follow but do no more to protect anyone than a magical amulet would. I’m over it.

(I’m a biologist and my infection control knowledge is pretty good, I’m happy to do sensible stuff, cheerfully wear a mask, and keep my hands spotless by the way!)

One way systems where in order to prevent you passing anybody you have to go a very long way round indeed thus increasing the time you are in the building by a factor of 10.

The chippy that gave you a bleeper when you ordered so you could be summoned when your food was ready to collect but didn’t bother sanitising the bleepers in between.

Outdoor takeaway where you write your details in a book for track and trace creating a crowd round the book and then you all use the same pen.

Totally agree. You've just got to suck it up and try to follow them though.

But it makes me sad because many of these businesses are really going to suffer over time because it can be so unpleasant. I'm much more likely to go back to the shop with the cheerful greeter than the one who barked at me

Got really shouted at in Next the other day for using the sanitizer at the door which was apparently STAFF ONLY sanitizer as opposed to the CUSTOMER ONLY sanitizer n the same bottle a few metres away.

Yes, the irrationality is annoying and tends to defeat the point.

At DD's sports activity, they have to sanitise their hand after each action on their circuit. A little draconian perhaps, but I can understand it. Except.... they ALSo have to sanitise after the one exercise which does not require them to actually touch anything?! WTF is that? At that point, I refused and started following her around with the sanitiser and just pretending after the one where she hadn't touched anything.

So many. Just these two for now.
Why can I huff and puff in my gym but not sing in my choir?
Why can I rifle through books in a charity shop or bookshop, but my local library remains firmly closed?

I got shouted at by my food delivery driver because even though I had buzzed him into flat and had looked through spy hole saw he had placed shopping and stood back. I should have known he hadn’t left but was doing something on his machine and was going to ring my doorbell again! I mean I was wearing mask and waiting until I thought he had gone (if I was bloke and not disabled he wouldn’t have shouted)

Know people who have been shielding and been made to go into hospital for covid test few days before an operation where they could get it on way but 100% didn’t have it before. Yet on nhs website it gives option for home test if you need one before going into hospital.

I swear lots of places are just using The Virus as an excuse to do the inconvenient and stupid things they always wanted to do.

Shouted at by lady outside Co-op who I didn't realise was waiting to go in - 'You have to wait for someone to come out first'. Stood behind her and waited, and waited, and waited. Couldn't see anyone at tills. Went in shop, despite lady's tutting - THERE WERE NO CUSTOMERS IN THE BLOODY SHOP. We could have been waiting 'til doomsday........

Coffee shops that have huge signs about 2m yet make you physically brush past smokers they sit in the doorway. Which will
Be smoking and not wearing masks.

Oh god @diplodocusinermine - I had a classic coop experience too. Massive queue, very shouty man only allowing couples in one at a time, all on a one in one out basis. Reasonable enough, except the couples invariably left together and the guy only counted them as a one, so for every two leaving one was allowed back in.

When I finally got in the place was almost deserted, with a 30 minute queue outside because the shouty man couldn’t count.