Couples in established relationships have to socially distance

[avenueq]

in tier two and three, unless they can form a support bubble.
So that means no relationships between students. Or between say a woman with two adult kids living at home and a man who lives with his mother, or in a shared flat.
Is that reasonable? I don't think it is.

Yeah sorry no way would I expect people to stay apart from partners for months on end now. It’s not just “young people” with boyfriends/girlfriends there’s plenty older people in long term relationships that for various reasons can’t live together.

Nobody wants to do it but if everyone followed the rules then the situation would be more manageable.

Why do you blindly accept every rule presented to you as acceptable? A little critical thought tells us that this rule is going to do nothing to improve the overall situation, but will have a significant impact on many people's mental health.

It's also necessary to think about how rules that are unenforceable and/or fuckwitted impact on general compliance and perceptions of legitimacy. Put bluntly, sometimes the damaging impact of a poorly chosen rule goes further than people ignoring it.

DS girlfriend has been in tears and I have rarely seen DS so upset they have been together two years. We ordered a chiminea and have an outdoor seating area but this is winter and so different from when they saw each other outside when rules were first changed. We are rule followers and just that way inclined as is she. But I’m not sure if this is just too much for both of them.

@Jaxhog

For crying out loud, anyone would think you were being asked to stay away from other people forever! It's for the short term, at most a year in total.

You need to be more creative in how you interact with people - there are loads of technologies to help, and you can still meet in parks, etc. (Apart from tier 3)

It isn't bollocks. It's the law and will save lives. Don't you care about anyone else?

Humanity's personal needs met with Zoom, a blow up doll with photo on the face and a vibrator.

Slow hand clap.

Humans need other humans for their wellbeing.

bobisbored in theory you can see each other outside only as tier 2, I’m in a tier 2 area.

@CrappleUmble

It's also necessary to think about how rules that are unenforceable and/or fuckwitted impact on general compliance and perceptions of legitimacy. Put bluntly, sometimes the damaging impact of a poorly chosen rule goes further than people ignoring it.

This.

Do the least harm.

Having a partner over indoors rather than outdoors. Low risk.

Better than ending up with a long term battle with depression and "selfishly*" needing to use NHS resources and drive up waiting lists.

• Not really selfishly, but that's the word that gets banded about when it comes to any "avoidable" usage of the NHS

I fail to see how living in 2 houses increases the risk. Are they going to introduce a cap on household size? Will couples who live together be told they need to live separately, maybe take half of the kids each?

I wonder how long it will be before I stop rolling my eyes at all you Tier 2 newbies who didn't give a shit about the rest of us back in August.

@bellinisurge

I wonder how long it will be before I stop rolling my eyes at all you Tier 2 newbies who didn't give a shit about the rest of us back in August.

But before, in Tier 2 there was an exemption for established relationships. That has been changed.

@avenueq

I will certainly tell my student dd that it's perfectly understandable if she still sees her boyfriend "close up"

And yet again there we have it, the ignorance and arrogance that will make this far worse longer term and undoubtedly result in more deaths. But eh as long as your daughter can get leg over that's OK.

@Valkadin

DS girlfriend has been in tears and I have rarely seen DS so upset they have been together two years. We ordered a chiminea and have an outdoor seating area but this is winter and so different from when they saw each other outside when rules were first changed. We are rule followers and just that way inclined as is she. But I’m not sure if this is just too much for both of them.

Sadly though, we all knew this was coming and those in this situation needed some foresight. If they so desperately needed to be with one another wtf haven't all of these couples actioned this and moved in together?

If the hurdles were too great then really that's put the relationship for others into perspective.

(not personal to your children)

I wrote to the Cabinet Office with my concerns about this last week when I first saw it come up, they said my suggestions of an exemption had been noted maybe if more of us do that might get them to think.

^And yet again there we have it, the ignorance and arrogance that will make this far worse longer term and undoubtedly result in more deaths.
But eh as long as your daughter can get leg over that's OK.^

Probably best you don't call anyone else ignorant or arrogant after that post, lest you open yourself up to pot kettle black comments.

Totally unreasonable. My dd didn't comply last time apart from the first 4 weeks to be honest, neither did exh.

Huge difference to dating different people, which should be carefully considered if it's wise

It’s the same in tier one. Has this not been the case since march?

I moved in with dp in March because, no, we don't want to be apart for a year as one poster here suggested was reasonable. None of us know how long we have for this world so I'm making the most of my time! The government needs to make reasonable, workable rules then we are more likely to follow them

@CrappleUmble

It's also necessary to think about how rules that are unenforceable and/or fuckwitted impact on general compliance and perceptions of legitimacy. Put bluntly, sometimes the damaging impact of a poorly chosen rule goes further than people ignoring it.

I'd agree with that. The government have lost the general public now over Covid, which isn't helpful.

@SoloMummy like that's what it's about - "getting her leg over" - seriously!?

And do you really think it's that simple to move in together for many couples in this position?

@Thatwentbadly no, there was an exception for couples in established relationships. Not sure if that exemption still applies to tier one now

I complied fully March to June with not seeing my fiance (together 5 years) but this time round, with restrictions likely to be for 6 months, no way, not again! We are 80 miles apart, he has his mum with him now as she has dementia, he works full time but is also her carer (along side rhe ones who come in during the day), I have 2 children one of which is 18. I will continue to obey every other rule to the letter if we move up to tier 2 but not that one, we are and will continue to operate as one household. I won't see the rest of my family indoors which will be hard as I'm so close to them, especially my mum who lives round the corner (luckily) but my partner no

Why’s everyone saying couples who don’t live together won’t be able to have sex for a YEAR?

Have I missed something? I thought it was a temporary measure

It started in March, now many saying another six months from now. Short reprieve in summer but pretty much a yeat

DP and I (together 5 years) stayed apart for three months earlier in the year, even though we live near each other. We’ve been super compliant, but I just can’t face doing that again. It was horrible.

Especially now that I’m also expected to send my children into the school viral soup every day and pretend that’s somehow fine. I think the cognitive dissonance would send me over the edge.

They have indeed annabel85. I actually don't think there's any real way forward with this shower now, unfortunately. They've bollocksed it up. You need such a high level of public trust to try and impose months of restrictions like this. That's gone.