Feels surreal reading old threads on here from March

[Ozzie9523]

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!

@stepawayfromthekeyboard

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.

I heard they absolutely were advised to but...didn’t. Then the contracts started being dished out to donors/friends etc. There were (eg) companies offering fast ventilator manufacturing in March at least who couldn’t get calls returned. Dyson got co-opted and I believe didn’t deliver. The government is already being sued but there’s loads more to come in the next few years.

I pity historians in a hundred years time. Providing we don't suffer some post technological apocalypse, there will be so much primary source material to plough through that it will become an impossible task.

Oooh! Sudden inspiration - history will become merged with computer science in the future, due to the need for searching algorithms to plough through all the material.

@GoldenOmber

And there were similar threads in September accusing people who were talking about the second wave of scaremongering.

Well, to be fair, a number of those same posters had been talking about how a second wave was imminent after picnics in parks were allowed again, after VE Day, after crowded Dorset beaches, after English schools going back in June...

Maybe as far as they were concerned, there was one eventually so they were right and the details are a mere quibble, but. Well.

(I thought this was going to be a very worrying big thing back in Jan/Feb, but I also thought swine flu would be and the 2005 bird flu would be, so I don’t feel I can really pat myself on the back for general pessimism.)

I think there was a lot of concern about schools going back potentially in June (but then they didn't fully go back, so there wasn't a wave then) and again in September. This was entirely justified and has been borne out pretty well by events.

The crowds on Bournemouth beach and the VE day celebrations weren't a good idea, but shielding families and other vulnerable people could choose to keep well away from those. There is some coercion around the situation in schools. Families with children can't choose to be safe, without taking their kids completely out of education and potentially losing their children's places for good.

it is barbarous.

Well
It was already a virus with pandemic potential with reasonable numbers of cases locally in Feb.
Anyone who thought it wasn’t going to turn out at least as bad as this back then was deluding themselves imho (and that includes BoJo)

I think it was sensible to be cautious about crowds on beaches etc. Now they know that being outdoors in sunlight isn’t such a high risk.

I remember asking mnhq in jan/Feb if we could have a coronavirus board and being told no, they didn't think it was necessary. 😁😁

We went to tenerife 15th December last year, remember watching sky news in apartment one night and saying to dh 'thank fuck we live in uk, imagine queueing to get in supermarket with a mask on!'

I was thinking about this myself. My Manager stopped working in the office in January as he decided he was at risk from the virus, at that time it was only in China and seemed like he was losing the plot. I looked back at one of my threads from then and my last post mentions him. Its so weird to think in January he was aware of what was coming, or seemed to be.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3816748-To-seriously-wonder-what-s-going-on

@Frouby

We went to tenerife 15th December last year, remember watching sky news in apartment one night and saying to dh 'thank fuck we live in uk, imagine queueing to get in supermarket with a mask on!'

I was also in Tenerife on 15th December, well we went from 3rd to 17th December, 2 weeks after returning my DD was in hospital with a high temperature and kidney damage from a mystery virus. I often wonder if we caught it on the flight home or at Gatwick.

Where did you stay in Tenerife, we stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel, had a lovely time and need to remember it as doubt we will go away anytime soon

I think I realised how big it was going to be when China cancelled Chinese New Year. That's like cancelling Christmas, but writ even larger.

So a bit weird to be thinking back to that right now, when it's perfectly clear (especially looking at Thanksgiving effect) that Christmas mixing is going to have consequences

I was on the early threads as I was worried and prepping in late Feb. I bought face masks late Feb.

95% of mumsnet scoffed at us and wouldn't believe it would effect us.

I'm very glad I found others like me. It's very sad that it came to this. I'm shocked its got as bad it has, I hoped I'd end with enough food for the year and a grumpy dp for spending all that money!

We stayed at costa adeje, can't remember name of hotel tho, we go every year usually around 13/15th for a cheapy cheeky week before Christmas.

Hoping next year we can go! Feels very odd not to be packing and organising this weekend, it's ds birthday tomorrow (he's 7) and we have been away every year since he was 2 on or around his birthday.

Poor little bugger didn't know what a school Christmas party is 🤣🤣

Yes, I've said to DH and a few friends that we were all so naive back then

By mid January it was apparent that either there was a terrible virus afflicting China or the Chinese government wanted us to think so - either way, I figured the result would be appalling. By late Jan I had masks and a topped up Brexit cupboard in readiness for whatever was coming.

Of course, by then, the virus was already here.

I didn't take it seriously until around 10th March. I just assumed it was the media scaremongering and would all blow over like SARS and Bird Flu. Then on that day in March I said to a colleague that surely it wasn't as bad as they were saying and they informed me that it was worse than was being said and about how it was going to spread out of control. At that moment the reality of the situation then hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was just browsing the old threads and saw some comments about how hospitals were having hand sanitiser nicked and remembered at my GP surgery and also at the opticians when they had to keep it behind the desk or it walked.

I didn’t get it quick enough either - was overjoyed when I got a big bottle in my shopping in avout May! On Friday I was chased round a shop by an assistant wielding some - definitely no shortages now !

I was following the Chinese reports early January and was ridiculed by work colleagues for even having a slight concern

I then cancelled a flight to Europe at end of February before lockdowns were happening and was ridiculed further

I still myself didn’t think it would have gone on for this long

I had a baby in first lockdown and most of the family still hasn’t even met them and probably won’t now until after first birthday looking at news reports

I had a baby in first lockdown and most of the family still hasn’t even met them and probably won’t now until after first birthday looking at news reports

I saw my 10 month old niece for the second time yesterday. We live about 30 mins away but lockdowns, living in another council with different tier restrictions and their sensible over cautiousness (SIL has had long term serious health problems) have made it very difficult to see them. It must be so hard.

I felt very lucky yesterday because i had thought it extremely unlikely there was a chance of seeing them this side of Christmas just a few weeks ago but the situation had improved enough to do it

Even then it was strictly an hour outside at distance cos babies and December cold aren't the best mix. SIL is desparate to give her daughter to everyone to hold especially as she's now reaching out to her grandparents.

I do think the Christmas relaxation is utter madness looking at current figures...