What would make you start following the rules? (If you’re not yet doing so)

[Chestergirl39]

Ok so Boris has been clear on the reasons why we need stricter rules. Rates are rising, hospitalisations are rising, test and trace not working, we need to take action collectively.....

But, still hearing from colleagues and posts on here about how they’re planning to get around the rules, ignore the rules, how they’re special, exempt etc etc...

What would it take to make you follow them? (If you’re not already?) Will the threat of fines make a difference?

It would take somebody convincing me that once the numbers are low and restrictions are eased again that numbers won't just go up again. Its a virus. It doesn't just stop spreading because the numbers are low. It will stop spreading when the number of infections in the community is 0. And looking at how its now endemic worldwide, its absolute madness to think this can be done.

I'll follow the rules while it suits me. If I 'need' to do something, like drive 6 hours for childcare, or fly to Greece just before quarantine becomes a thing, etc etc, then I won't hesitate to do so. I'll do right by my family, my mental health, and I'll only break the law in a specific and limited way.

When the rules start making making logical sense.

When the rules stop being quite so punitive to those with a family. It makes no sense that 6 adults from 6 households can meet and but 8 people (4 adults, 4 children) from 2 households can't. It's clear from the isolation rules that a household needs to be thought of as one in terms of spreading covid so why not make the rules around households. Oh yes, because then it would be harder for your nosy neighbour to tell tales. But just maybe people might follow the rules if they were fair and sensible rather than massively skewed to people with no family.

I've followed the rules all through. I would rather not get this virus. My husband has type 1 diabetes and we have been very cautious.

My dad has broken the rules all the way through. I'm not sure what would make him comply. He seems to think he is invincible, and I have over reacted.

My brother and sister in law have bent the rules for mental health. SiL never stayed away from her parents, even during March and April. She does not send my nephew to nursery as she considers it too high risk, preferring to use grandparents.

From what I can tell most people do their own risk assessment, not rely on government rules.

I’ve followed the rules all the way through. I’m just tired of it all now and worried for my job and mental health. Also don’t like the government’s current attitude of turning the blame on the public.

I don’t think the fines will make a difference to most people. Realistically, how will the police know if you’ve got 6 guests in your house at any one time? Are they going to come in and look under all the beds? It’s completely unenforceable so the people who want to break it will continue to do so.
The lack of testing is another reason people will break the rules. If your child has a slight temp, it’s much easier to keep them off for two days while you get a test and wait for the results but at the moment it’s a two week isolation for almost everyone because people can’t get tested. That will push more people to breaking that rule and sending their kids in if they can get away with it.
I think there’ll be a continuing rise and fall of how many people are following the rules and to what extent, but it will never be everyone.

Ok so Boris has been clear on the reasons why we need stricter rules. Rates are rising, hospitalisations are rising, test and trace not working, we need to take action collectively.....
I think people would be a lot happier taking this “collective action” if the government sorted their shit out, stopped hiring their mates, and bloody well sorted the test and trace. I know it’s not easy, but when the woman in charge of it said no one could predict the increase in demand when schools went back you do wonder what the hell they're playing at.

I've followed rules throughout.

However it looks like I'll be forced to break the law Xmas day.

It's likely my mums last. There will be 7 of us as always. (6ads 1ch)

But it's 2 households.

We've been able to meet up to now.

I'll pay the fine if needed but it's better than a lifetime of guilt if we don't have this last one together.

To add to my post above:

2. Because I need to look after my mental health and if I followed every restriction applied to me right now I'd probably have depression.

3. Because I'm in Scotland and refuse to follow rules which dictate I can only meet my friends or family if I'm spending money. Im literally indoors with them at a closer distance if sharing a table in a cafe than at 2 seperate sofas in my livingroom.

4. Because I want to meet a member of my family in my own house, where I feel relaxed instead of in a restaurant where I have to follow one way signs, and have a million reminders of how shit life is right now (ie masks, not allowed to talk to next table, registering on arrival, screens everywhere).

5. Because they make no sense. I cant meet 2 friends with our kids to feed the ducks but can meet 30 to shoot them.

6. Because I feel that all these measures are just prolonging the pandemic.

Boris tonight was despicable. Blaming the public for breaking the rules when his own Cummings did far worse and his incompetence has lead to u turn after U turn, a poor testing system and contempt from the public. He lacks all credibility and authenticity. Scientists do NOT agree on the beat way forward. I would prioritise the young over the old, huge sacrifices have been made for a virus that is harmless and the average age of death is 82! Why don’t we scare about the opportunity cost?

If there appeared to be more of a guaranteed end in sight

@ohthegoats

I'll follow the rules while it suits me. If I 'need' to do something, like drive 6 hours for childcare, or fly to Greece just before quarantine becomes a thing, etc etc, then I won't hesitate to do so. I'll do right by my family, my mental health, and I'll only break the law in a specific and limited way.

Love this

@JKRowlingIsMyQueen

When the rules start making making logical sense.

This. And when they can show us some science behind the restrictions rather than just making it up as they go along with graphs of blatantly false "not a prediction but obvious the papers will say it is" just to try and scare people.

I have followed the rules. However I won't be prepared to not have all my immediate family here for Christmas lunch. That's without dhs family we already go over 6.
After having been told I have to work over Christmas, I'm not prepared to see my own mother sat on her own. The only exception would be if every single person has to quarantine in their house and the army and police patrolled the streets physically arresting those who disobeyed and threw them in prison.
Unless the pubs are shut I will have my immediate family with me.

Some people are not sticking to the rules on a day to day basis.
In my town the local 'scrubbers' for want of a better word were allowed to congregate day in and day out whilst the rest of us had to witness this.
This should have been stamped out from the start.

I think the problem lies with allowing people to go drinking in pubs where the 2 metre rule and strict hygiene have not been enforced.

I don’t understand how people can say simultaneously:

We should have been like Sweden, where people socially distanced without having rules

and

I’m not going to follow the rules we do have

So... if you don’t make rules, I’ll follow the rules you didn’t make, but if you do make rules, I won’t?

I’m in scotland. All winter I can’t see anyone indoors. But I could take my elderly mum to the pub to meet her there?

Fuck right off. I won’t be following that

@ohthegoats

I'll follow the rules while it suits me. If I 'need' to do something, like drive 6 hours for childcare, or fly to Greece just before quarantine becomes a thing, etc etc, then I won't hesitate to do so. I'll do right by my family, my mental health, and I'll only break the law in a specific and limited way.

Pretty much this.

DC2 is due soon and will make us a family of four, which I’m worried limits our options even further. I don’t really plan to count her as a separate human.

When Dominic Cummings is removed from a position of power. When the government sorts out its 'world beating' test and trace. When the rules start making logical sense. Etc.

I've mainly followed the rules. But when there started being talk of a second lockdown all I could think is 'what's the point unless the government are going to do something with the time' Lockdowns just pause things which is fine if we then have adequate testing, track and trace etc.

My main annoyance isn't about Cummings, although that's annoying, but that the government have pissed money up the wall on inadequate ppe, not got enough tests but then say people are 'carping' about it and haven't sorted out the track and trace probably. I'm sick of Johnson coming on tv and blaming the public.

When the government explain clearly how they plan to move beyond bouncing in and out of lockdown for the long term.

When the members of the government are called to account for not following the rules.

When the rules begin to make crystal clear logical sense.

When the government begins to address all the other elephants in the room which are currently being ignored because of its obsession with Covid: the tanking economy, the death of the high street, the collapse of the arts industry, the impact on mental health, the impact on education, the lack of dental care, the colossal impact on NHS services...

“ Boris has been clear on the reasons”

He hasn’t, and has no credibility.

Testing/tracing not working etc.

I have followed nearly all the rules although I did go out for an additional occasional walk on my own in the middle of nowhere during full lockdown. However, it is clear that most cases are not symptomatic. Schools and workplaces that have privately tested their entire populations here and abroad have all found a number of asymptomatic cases. If this is the case (and it is!), this testing people with symptoms and isolating for 14 days as a household is bollocks as the virus is still circulating at the school or workplace in any case, those with symptoms are either unlucky or just happen to have a cold in addition to Covid. The horse has bolted and to penalised people and households with cold symptoms in winter is not going to make any difference. If testing was quick and easy and less disruptive to families and schools and workplaces this would also help people “do the right thing” but still the moment, most people are being asked not to leave their homes for 14 days when their toddler is teething or they have any recognisable illness with a temperature. Not seeing your mum on Christmas Day is not going to make a blind bit of difference to the spread when community and asymptomatic transmission is so high. Add to this the governments utter fuck ups, u turns and inability to follow their own advice and I have total sympathy with the majority of rule breakers - some of whom would lose their jobs and houses if they did blindly “follow the rules”.

I’m following the rules, does piss me off that everyone else thinks they’re exempt though!

Plain selfish imo. If everyone did follow the rules we wouldn’t be heading for another lockdown.

“If everyone did follow the rules we wouldn’t be heading for another lockdown”

Don’t think that has been evidenced!

I follow the rules, but don’t think government has any credibility.