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Original poster

Feels surreal reading old threads on here from March

93 replies

Ozzie9523 · 11/12/2020 20:33

I’ve just clicked the ‘last’ key and read some threads from early March. Seems so weird reading those threads, how we were worrying about a few cases and thinking it might all be over in a couple of months, or wouldn’t affect us like it had China and Italy. Little did we know what was coming 😔 If someone had told us back then where we’d be 9 months later, and all that had gone on in between, we probably wouldn’t have believed them. Just thinking out loud really!

OP posts:
Chosennonesneakymincepie · 12/12/2020 10:56

It seems like a different world. I didn't think it would impact us, I thought it would be a other swine flu. When schools shut a d exams were cancelled, it hit hard, I swung the other way completely. Mentally wrote my parents off 😬 (they're still with us for now) re did my will and life insurance and spoke to the DC about their wishes if I died. I then thought it would sweep through the country like a huge tsunami and we would see who had survived it by winter 😬. Clueless.

sashagabadon · 12/12/2020 11:03

Yes it did feel that way in March, mostly due to hyperbolic social media imo.
Luckily for most(not everyone particularly care home residents) , none of those things came to pass Smile

WellThankyouAJPTaylor · 12/12/2020 11:22

Yes, I sometimes go back and read the old threads, it's fascinating. I didn't post on them, but as a generally worried person who had long feared a global pandemic, I read them with an increasing sense of dread. People really were scoffed at and told to bog off to the coronavirus board.

I work in subtitles, and I think it would have been late January, early February when I was training words like Covid, Covid-19, Hubei Province, self-isolating into my vocabulary - soon followed by Chris Whitty, Patrick Vallance, Jenny Harries et al.

The news running orders quickly went from one virus-related story to most and then ALL of the running order.

The soaps shut down production.

But it got most real for me when my daughter sent me a text just saying "School closing."

MarshaBradyo · 12/12/2020 14:50

@WellThankyouAJPTaylor

Yes, I sometimes go back and read the old threads, it's fascinating. I didn't post on them, but as a generally worried person who had long feared a global pandemic, I read them with an increasing sense of dread. People really were scoffed at and told to bog off to the coronavirus board.

I work in subtitles, and I think it would have been late January, early February when I was training words like Covid, Covid-19, Hubei Province, self-isolating into my vocabulary - soon followed by Chris Whitty, Patrick Vallance, Jenny Harries et al.

The news running orders quickly went from one virus-related story to most and then ALL of the running order.

The soaps shut down production.

But it got most real for me when my daughter sent me a text just saying "School closing."

I found this a good read and really interesting. And yes that last sentence was a belter!
eeeyoresmiles · 12/12/2020 17:00

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/3813298-Coronavirus-topic

This thread shows a variety of reactions to the idea of coronavirus deserving its own topic, including one person referring to the need to discuss economic effects back in February.

cologne4711 · 12/12/2020 17:19

I was reading some tweets from late March about runners the other day and was gasping at how people really thought they were spreading the virus everywhere they ran and how they were going to be single-handedly responsible for the lockdown being made stricter in the UK to stop runners going out either at all, or more than 1k from their house.

However, I know some of my posts haven't aged well. I was so sure the kids would go back to school after May half term. Well I know some did, but the majority did not. In hindsight maybe they should have done, and we would have had more of a second wave in the summer when it was easier to meet outside etc. Oh well.

cologne4711 · 12/12/2020 17:22

People really were scoffed at and told to bog off to the coronavirus board

Happened with Brexit too.

cologne4711 · 12/12/2020 17:25

@RedToothBrush

If you went to the shop needing bog roll and there was none, it doesn't matter if technically the country didn't run out of it

And everyone who stayed the fuck home so it wasn't so bad for nhs staff should have just carried on as normal because it was all hyperbolic?

Right.

Pisses off to la la land

Blimey Red who rattled your cage today? Can you please stop using the F word in every post?
ilikebooksandplants · 12/12/2020 17:33

I still can’t get my head round it. I can’t even comprehend this year having happened.

I laugh when I think how naive I was in March thinking that this would all be a distant memory by now.

RedToothBrush · 12/12/2020 17:39

No. I fucking can't.

MarshaBradyo · 12/12/2020 17:40

I remember going out around time of Brighton guy. Odd to look back at pics

We were pretty unfazed iirc and not thinking about what was about to happen

I remember those early days when very small numbers dying had big media impact

HmmSureJan · 12/12/2020 17:55

I was worried. My ex H had been in China and actually travelled through Wuhan before it shut down. He rang me and told me this is real, it's coming and you need to be prepared for you and the kids. He hates my guts so for him to do that meant I took it seriously. I bought face masks and filters from Amazon and there were loads, then two days later I looked again and every single face mask, even cosmetic ones had sold out. I remember waking up every morning and remembering what was going on and feeling so frightened.

That said, there were a few predictions on here of total breakdown in society and rioting in the streets. I thought that was unhelpful and those coming out with it seemed to be revelling in it, which was odd, and I am sure they contributed to the panic buying.

SwedishEdith · 12/12/2020 17:56

@cologne4711

People really were scoffed at and told to bog off to the coronavirus board

Happened with Brexit too.

People scoffed at the idea of a coronavirus board at all.

I do remember reading one of the "Where are you all off to on holiday this year?" threads and no-one seemed to really think they wouldn't happen.

MarshaBradyo · 12/12/2020 17:57

I did buy hand gel before it sold out, due to mn probably

SwedishEdith · 12/12/2020 17:58

My last photo BC was of some new (to me) cars as wanted to replace my then 16 year old. I've still got it and have only filled up twice since February.

IloveJKRowling · 12/12/2020 18:02

Off topic, but isn't MN positively renowned for users being allowed to swear at will?

Dutchesss · 12/12/2020 18:11

I remember my first worry was back in early March when everyone who had a cough or slight temperature needed to isolate for two weeks. I remember worrying that essential services wouldn't be able to run with loads of staff being off for weeks with what could just be colds. No mass testing back then.

sashagabadon · 12/12/2020 18:21

But Swedish loads of people did get to go on holiday in the summer. So those people were right to be optimistic and book a holiday. I know loads of people that went in holiday and had a lovely time. I went on holiday for a week in August.
I know some people that got caught out by the quarantine rules but most didn’t.

Cornettoninja · 12/12/2020 18:27

I remember expressing my sadness on a thread over the impact this would all have on my dd’s previously very fortunate, carefree life and how sad I was to lose her last spring/summer before school. I was told almost unanimously I was being silly and a drama queen. This would have been round about the beginning of the first lockdown.

I would have been so pleased to be sitting here slightly embarrassed by myself right now.

VerlynWebbe · 12/12/2020 18:28

I definitely prepped hand gel, masks, food etc. I have a couple of pals who are public health academics and they were under no illusions that this would be a long haul. (They did not foresee the government corruption that’s led to the high number of deaths. I hope those responsible get what’s coming to them.)

Cornettoninja · 12/12/2020 18:28

@IloveJKRowling

Off topic, but isn't MN positively renowned for users being allowed to swear at will?
Fucking right it is! Grin
SwedishEdith · 12/12/2020 18:32

@sashagabadon

But Swedish loads of people did get to go on holiday in the summer. So those people were right to be optimistic and book a holiday. I know loads of people that went in holiday and had a lovely time. I went on holiday for a week in August. I know some people that got caught out by the quarantine rules but most didn’t.
No, these were people who were laughing at the idea there would even be any issue. My brother went in March and got Covid.
stepawayfromthekeyboard · 12/12/2020 18:37

I think we should be more incredulous that the government didn't look at what was happening in Asia in January (and Europe in February) and start stockpiling PPE and test kits asap.
Remember the Cheltenham races in March? Local school allowed to go skiing to Italian area in lockdown in March...
Of course we are still in this mess now.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 12/12/2020 18:45

@MarshaBradyo

I did buy hand gel before it sold out, due to mn probably
I didn’t. I had masks & filters for them but couldn’t get hand gel because I left it a week too late.
HarveySchlumpfenburger · 12/12/2020 18:46

@IloveJKRowling

Off topic, but isn't MN positively renowned for users being allowed to swear at will?
Yes. And Red’s reply is the MN standard reply for being asked not to swear.