How can it be illegal to see a member of family? Even from 2m+? Even with a mask? What is this world

[Napqueen1234]

High risk area so likely to be tier three. In this modern world how can it be illegal to see any family for months and months on end. It’s cruel and unfair and completely unsustainable.

@Crystalknobs

It is ridiculous, people should be able to do their own risk assessment when it comes to seeing family. It’s ok for me to be at work where there is very little social distancing, mixing with people that are coming from all over the country, not many are wearing masks, but can’t get together with all my family (8of us).

but it isn't YOUR risk. It's you deciding to risk other people. Not just your family but the people in contact with them.

You are allowed to work as otherwise you would starve. That was explained 100s of times. Were you not listening?

I agree. I cannot believe that I live in a country where it is illegal to see family. It is appalling.

7 months is longer than my baby’s entire life so far. Doesn’t seem that insignificant a time to me.

Its a fucking wank ridiculous rule that no government on earth should have the power to enforce. Like, i work in a shop no social distancing and i come into contact with hundreds of people a day. But i cant see my family in our homes but if they come shopping i can see them... How is that allowed.

@QueenofmyPrinces

It scares me how many people are willing to simply accept all this?

It’s horrifying what the Government is doing to our country, our society, to us.

How can we live in a time when it’s illegal to see your family?

What’s happening just isn’t right.

There's a pandemic. Maybe you don't listen to the news very often and missed it.

Not just your government but all the governments on the planet. All making up laws for no other reason than to inconvenience you.

It will be the lizards behind it I expect.

It’s not in a minority, fawn, Most people think we should put up a United front.

However your post was patronising and commanding, and you obviously hadn’t thought For a minute that your ‘seven months’ might as well be ‘seven years’ to somebody in a different position to you (ie dying).

Even your last reply was passive aggressive. Try to understand that others aren’t as lucky as you, abd don’t be passive aggressive when you are called out, it makes you look bad.

Do you want to kill your family? If not then suck it up. It’s only for a short time, which will be shorter if everyone complies and longer if they don’t.

@Fawnfour

Just stick to damn rules, it's been 7 months not 7 years!!!!!!

My friend's grandparents have not seen their great-great granddaughter since 8 weeks old... she's standing now. They've missed the vast majority of the baby year. These are working age people in their 60s, so not frail and high risk, but they are tired of being conciencious now they are back at work, one of which in a school.

At the other end of the scale, elderly DM will never see two friends again because cancer got them first. She was cautious at first because she was ill with one condition, then aquired a nasty chest infection in hospital in February which took a few months to feel right from... She and her friends have decided it's time to crack on with life as being of average life expectancy, there are no guarentees of surviving this Covid or not.

7 months is 1/12th of DS2's life as a 7 year old. Edit out the first 2-3 years that he doesn't remember and that's a significant proportion of what he remembers.

We don't get time back. Babies are born, children grow up, people die, hopefully peacefully, loved at a ripe old age, but death can also be sudden and premature for a whole variety of reasons, 2020 has just added a new one to the mix, not taken any away.

Writing off 7 months, a year, 18m however long this drags out for is a disaster for society, health and the economy. It is a waste to inflict unnecessary suffering and there is doubt that these measure actually save lives compared to the long term toll of interrupted health care, poor mental health, lost opportunities, addiction and abuse.
The grim reaper will not be denied... we are all mortal.

The sneery framing of these things as “inconveniences”, the deliberate implication that people are just feeble whingers and need to buck up - it’s very interesting

@happinessischocolate Yet much younger, healthier people have died. Trump is a piss poor example given what he's had access to. I don't think those you've mentioned are even slightly representative. 10/10 for a daily mail comment though.

Fair enough, I apologise for any offence caused.
So if I'm not in the minority and most people want to put up a United front, why are all the posts suggesting how ridiculous it is and unsustainable

Do you want to kill your family? If not then suck it up.

Its reading this drip drip of sneery nastiness, in part, that has persuaded me of the sheer ridiculousness of the whole situation.

My sister has also had a baby in lockdown, I saw him through a window. I really did not mean to come across as patronising or offensive. I understand why people are so angry, we are all fed up and angry, we all want to see our family and get back to a more normal way of living.
I was simply just stating should we not all stick to the rules and ride this out, in the hope that we can have a more normal way of living

@MadameMeursault

Do you want to kill your family? If not then suck it up. It’s only for a short time, which will be shorter if everyone complies and longer if they don’t.

The initial 3 weeks was apparently short... That was 6 months ago and counting...

It's unrealistic to hope for significant improvements before the cold/ flu season ends in a further six months based on global paterns of growth and decline.

Many people find the colder, darker months anyway and will struggle without the usual props of Bonfire Night, Christmas and New Year traditions to punctuate the winter. Most people need varied interactions and family relationships for good wellbeing.

It doesn’t help that there is no clear aim to all of these restrictions. We know it’s to reduce the number of infections but to what level? What level is acceptable to lift these restrictions? If we knew at least there is something we could be working towards but at the moment it feels like this could go on indefinitely which makes people feel tired and depressed and less likely to “stick to the rules”.

What makes people think that if we all follow the rules then the restrictions will last for a shorter time?

They won’t. The virus is not going anywhere. It’s here to stay. Even when a vaccine is produced it won’t be available to everyone for ages due to the sheer scale of the global population. Certain groups will be prioritised.

Given that herd immunity through vaccination is consequently probably numerous years away what do people consider to be an end point when it’s time to stop curtailing people’s well-being, quality of life, human rights, education, earning/employment? 5 years? That’s effectively taking away huge chunks of a whole generation’s childhood and education. Isn’t that selfish?

This foolish to think not being able to see family members is cruel, wait until the winter comes. You’ll be begging for lockdown. What’s coming unless we get a grip of the situation will be horrific for us all.

@Fawnfour

Just stick to damn rules, it's been 7 months not 7 years!!!!!!

In this 7 months ..... I've lost 4 family members. NONE to Covid.

How happy am I that I didn't see those family members because of the rules.

FUCK the rules. I can't get back that 7 months, I can't get back not seeing my family. They are dead.

No way on this Earth will I comply with the rules. No way am I risking not seeing the family I have left.

As someone who worked in health care for 20 years, also plenty of my family members still do. We would rather a 90 year old person spent what my be their final months seeing family than being locked away on their own again hoping they don't die befire this gets better

What the fuck is wrong with people that they would rather someone that age be alone for what could be the rest of their lives than them taking the small risk.that if they catch it they could pass it to paramedics or care home staff?

Where's your humanity gone?

@yawnsvillex I'm sorry for your loss. I lost a very good friend to cancer a few weeks ago not being able to have treatment means we lost who knows how much time with her its all horrendous

Thank you @EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall

All these poor people dying alone (not from Covid) is inhumane.

I am grieving heavily for the lost time we've had. I will accept in time.

I am sorry for your loss

So you're a carer, not a medical professional? What you'd prefer is not relevant. We have to do what's best for society as a whole, it's fucking awful that people are dying alone, but the alternative is letting this run and you don't want to see the utter shit show that would be?

You think it's shit now, but you ain't seen nothing yet and you will if people don't do everything they can to minimise spread.

And it's not all about deaths, it's about keeping enough people well to keep the power on, supermarkets stocked and the NHS operational.

Can you imagine what would happen if there was no gas, electricity, food or medical care. How scared would you be then?

You need to realise this could be very very serious, but it doesn't have to be for the price of a few inconvenient rules, and yes some people will suffer more than others, but this way is better for society as a whole, including the economy.

What I can’t get my head round is not allowed to have other people in my house. My own private property and it’s a crime to have someone else inside it. That and randomly shutting down people’s works on dubious evidence.

Just a few weeks eh? Tell that to people who live in Leicester...

It’s a nice idea, fawn. That everyone would stick to the rules.

The problem is, they don’t.

Those of us who have stuck to the rules are surrounded by others who don’t. In the end, a combination of this, and the fact that so many of the rules are pointless - it means that you run out of patience.

I had a call from a relative midweek, checking that she was right to think we aren’t supposed to mix households indoors.

I confirmed no, in our area, we aren’t Allowed. She was annoyed that her husband had let her stepdaughter go out on a sleepover.

The worst part? She’s a nurse on an NHS elderly care ward.

And yet here are my teenagers suffering, following the rules. Are they just taking it for the team ? Why are we bothering? And yet still we bother.

As for your sister having a baby - I’m sorry to hear you can’t see them, and it’s a blow, but it’s not the end of the world, as evidenced by your attitude of being willing to continue complying. Other people have a different life experience, they don’t always have the luxury of time.