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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Christmas needs to be cancelled.

661 replies

AlternativePerspective · 19/11/2020 08:40

So the suggestion to make it possible for the world to go and be super spreaders at Christmas is to stay in lockdown until Christmas, then open up for five days, then go back into lockdown for another 25 days (at least), five days for every day we’re out of lockdown.

Are people really that desperate to have a get together they could have at any other time of the year, maybe in the summer when this pandemic is under control, that they’re willing to spend months in lockdown to achieve it? Really?

My personal opinion is that it is our duty as a society to have a low key Christmas regardless of whether they take this ridiculous measure or not.

I understand that for some they want to see family at Christmas, but these ridiculous suggestions have gone too far.

Just cancel Christmas and give us an extra bank holiday next year to make up for it.

OP posts:
stairway · 19/11/2020 17:58

I wouldn’t say it was about intelligence, it’s not always easy to predict who will get the virus really badly and we know people spread it without realising it.

GetOffYourHighHorse · 19/11/2020 17:59

'I'm sure she's intelligent enough to mitigate any risk to her parents as am I'

Ah right. So the dining table in the back garden then once lunch is over everyone stays sat outside 2m apart? Because that is the only way to reduce the risk in a pandemic if hosting mixed households. Bit chilly though tbh.

HeyBaby2020 · 19/11/2020 18:04

I don’t wanna see my family anyway so suits me 🤣 although I will be seeing my friends around Christmas time like usual don’t care what anyone else says or thinks

SchrodingersImmigrant · 19/11/2020 18:06

@unmarkedbythat

The language being used here is ridiculous.

It is not banning Christmas Hmm or cancelling Christmas Hmm to leave the same restrictions in effect over the Christmas period.

Looks like that restrictions mean to many it's cancelled. I think it's the same like "wedding" now. "I didn't have a wedding. We just had a ceremony and a small dinner.". Well, that's a wedding. And having Christmas without big gathering is still Christmas 🤷🏻
blueytacky · 19/11/2020 18:09

@GetOffYourHighHorse She could be like me and self isolate and get tested (self funded) before hand? Lots of people are doing this to protect their elderly loved ones and still be able to see them much like what is being done in care homes.

@HeyBaby2020 I know you're being a bit light hearted here but I think a lot of people who are crying out for christmas to be cancelled are doing so because it suits their own agenda of not wanting to spend time with the inlaws or even their own family, it thats the case fine but they shouldn't try to dictate to others what they can and cannot do.

blueytacky · 19/11/2020 18:12

@SchrodingersImmigrant But what if not everyone is talking about big gathering? What if its about an elderly or ill person who will be left totally alone otherwise? People see to assume anyone who wants restrictions eased over christmas is planning a big party and a pub crawl. Not everyone has a nice family set up with 2 parents and 2.4 kids, some people are on their own or might be unlikely to see another christmas?

I wish people could see beyond their own circumstances and have some bloody compassion.

stairway · 19/11/2020 18:13

Blueytacky She can’t self isolate as she is a teacher though. It might not be that easy to get a covid test right before Xmas and it doesn’t guarantee the person doesn’t have it. It’s not about dictating what people do, however I think it’s responsible to remind people of the risks of visiting vulnerable people during this crisis.

HeyBaby2020 · 19/11/2020 18:14

@stairway

Blueytacky She can’t self isolate as she is a teacher though. It might not be that easy to get a covid test right before Xmas and it doesn’t guarantee the person doesn’t have it. It’s not about dictating what people do, however I think it’s responsible to remind people of the risks of visiting vulnerable people during this crisis.
If people had any sense they wouldn’t be getting covid tests before Christmas if they want a Christmas ffs
SchrodingersImmigrant · 19/11/2020 18:15

[quote blueytacky]@SchrodingersImmigrant But what if not everyone is talking about big gathering? What if its about an elderly or ill person who will be left totally alone otherwise? People see to assume anyone who wants restrictions eased over christmas is planning a big party and a pub crawl. Not everyone has a nice family set up with 2 parents and 2.4 kids, some people are on their own or might be unlikely to see another christmas?

I wish people could see beyond their own circumstances and have some bloody compassion.[/quote]
Everyone with any sense here said that this is about unnecessary gatherings, not people being alone. People being alone can make a support bubble anyway, so there is simply no need for a discussion there.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 19/11/2020 18:16

@RedToothBrush

I see most of the points you list as being a result of incompetent governance. Westminster was far too slow to react, imposed a wishy-washy lockdown far too late, and hasn't bothered to police the restrictions we had in place post-lockdown, such as people coming back from holidays in Spain, Italy, and such, then heading straight to work the next day.

Had we a more competent government that actually did value human life above money, we may have gotten to grips with the initial outbreak far earlier, rendering the discussion about Christmas restrictions moot, with the added bonus of far fewer deaths, and a far less damaged economy.

It's clear as day there are people who have no intention of following whichever set of restrictions the govt happens to be rolling out at any point in time. You only need look at behaviours the length and breadth of the country since this whole thing began, read threads such as this, to see that it's empirically clear that regardless of known risk, some people are hell bent on suiting themselves irrespective of consequences.

You can argue that's down to restriction fatigue, and I'd agree with you that's a part of it, but it doesn't explain away the people who were ignoring lockdown back in March and April, or buggering off to Spain and Italy in July, August etc, then whinging about the fact they were being expected to isolate upon their return. There's an element of the population that don't believe the rules apply to them, or rationalise their rule-breaking by concluding that just one or two people wont make a difference, with seeming scant regard for the fact that if we all took that attitude it would just prolong the epidemic, lead to more deaths, more restrictions, further atrophy of the economy etc.

I genuinely do not blame anyone for wanting a christmas with their family, I understand it, I really do, but I'm comfortable pointing out how bloody selfish that can be when it involves breaking rules other people are still happy to abide by for the greater good.

blueytacky · 19/11/2020 18:17

@stairway how do you know she can't isolate? I appreciate you are just trying to help but there are ways for her to see her family safely.

blueytacky · 19/11/2020 18:19

@SchrodingersImmigrant You say that but then people on here are literally posting that doing so will mean that your relatives will die, saw a post on here earlier from someone telling a poster that visiting her elderly mum and dad would probably finish them of and even put a helpful "tick tock" at the end of her nasty post.

Lostinacloud · 19/11/2020 18:21

Listen to this scientist in Canada, then calm the fuck down, stop being led by fear and see all your family and friends again just like you have every year during the standard winter cold, flu and virus season.

This has to come to an end.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 19/11/2020 18:22

@blueytacky as with anything there are dicks on boths sides of an argument 🤷🏻 someone doesn't care and eill have 13 people and someone is being unnecessarily brutal. That's nlthing new here.

Nor are the "but olympics"

blueytacky · 19/11/2020 18:25

@SchrodingersImmigrant fair enough, in the end people will just do what they want to as their is no way to police it. Lockdown in January - March is inevitable anyway.

Lweji · 19/11/2020 18:30

This has to come to an end.

It might come to some of your family sooner than for most of us. Sad

Btw, why would anyone trust that video over pretty much every doctor in hospital and epidemiologist?

blueytacky · 19/11/2020 18:33

@Lweji I think thats quite an unkind post.

Sleazeyjet · 19/11/2020 18:33

@Lweji

This has to come to an end.

It might come to some of your family sooner than for most of us. Sad

Btw, why would anyone trust that video over pretty much every doctor in hospital and epidemiologist?

Yeah my dads going to be dead regardless.

COVID or not.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 19/11/2020 18:36

@Lweji

This has to come to an end.

It might come to some of your family sooner than for most of us. Sad

Btw, why would anyone trust that video over pretty much every doctor in hospital and epidemiologist?

I guess it's pretty easy to make all governments agree on this, work together, ruin economy, get doctors and other staff on it and make them swear not to tell and then get that millions of families of dead ones on it too. And throw in some hypochondriacs for a good measure so it looks like there are patients. Only few see through all that!
RedToothBrush · 19/11/2020 18:39

@GetOffYourHighHorse

'I'm sure she's intelligent enough to mitigate any risk to her parents as am I'

Ah right. So the dining table in the back garden then once lunch is over everyone stays sat outside 2m apart? Because that is the only way to reduce the risk in a pandemic if hosting mixed households. Bit chilly though tbh.

I do think a lot of people if they do meet up will do outdoors dinner.

Im surprised there hasn't been a run on patio heaters...

Lostinacloud · 19/11/2020 18:41

@Lweji it’s not just that scientist saying a similar thing though is it. Not easy to find on mainstream media but dig a bit deeper and there are loads of scientists saying the same thing, including all those who submitted the Great Barrington document.

People are perfectly capable of monitoring their own health and deciding whether they need to stay at home to recover and who they should probably avoid seeing until they know they’re fully recovered.

You will no doubt point out that asymptomatic people could pass it on unwittingly but I have yet to see that this theory has actually been proven as some scientists thing asymptomatic people don’t have enough virus to cause the illness.

Caroncarona · 19/11/2020 18:42

It might come to some of your family sooner than for most of us

Potentially not by covid, but instead caused by the covid restrictions. Theres plenty of medical professionals / researchers who believe the risks caused by covid are minimal when compared to risks caused to people by the restrictions. It seems to me that lockdown isn't particularly working for various different reasons. TBF, I follow the rules because it makes little difference to my life not to do so at the moment. In different circumstances I may well not follow them. And if the restrictions continue on and on I'll probably stop complying with them at some point. Particularly if the majority aren't bothering to comply, then it no longer serves any purpose for me to do so either.

Cripesitsthegasman19 · 19/11/2020 18:43

Sod off

MadameTuffington · 19/11/2020 18:45

@Redglitter

My Mum has for the most part coped pretty well since March. She lives alone & like many people has missed so much this year with her family. Holidays with her grand daughters, general family things but shes doing relatively well.

My brother is pretty strict about keeping to the rules, we both work for the emergency services so its been business as usual for us & as a result we do worry about the risk to Mum.

Christmas has been a taboo subject with her and she's been quite subdued if its been mentioned. My brother and I discussed it the other day & agree her & i (extended household) will go to his for our Christmas Day. There are only 6 of us and itll be 2 households. Were not going to sit round the table for a traditional dinner instead were opting for takeaway and can social distance in the living room.

Since we told Mum the plans shes like a different person. Ultimately we've made the decision based on whsts best for us as a family & weighed up the pros cons & potential damage to her mental health.

Christmas doesn't need to be cancelled. People just need to be sensible

1000 upvotes for this comment
Lostinacloud · 19/11/2020 18:45

@SchrodingersImmigrant
Well it’s been easy enough for the governments and media to scare the shit out of billions of people around the world so why is it so unbelievable that many governments have been swept up in the histeria too and had little choice but to follow suit. If you recall, Boris originally suggested herd immunity and to only encourage a bit of social distancing and more hand washing. Didn’t take long for the media to change that, same for others countries too no doubt, as can also be seen in the US.