Quick poll: who intends to continue with Xmas plans in tier 4?

[Missmidden]

To help with my discussions with family who were due to come entirely within the rules as they were pre 4pm!

Genuinely in a total quandary as to what to say- all low risk people but it’s our decision as our house. If I thought that a big chunk of the affected population would “rebel” or that everyone else was towing the line that might help, so thanks in advance.

In tier 4. While technically we could travel to see my 85 year old Mum in T2 as we are her support bubble, with a heavy heart I have decided not to; as while the risk is minimal - we are working from home, and was DD2 tested before leaving Uni etc, the rapid spread of the new strain heightens the risk.

Unfortunately almost all our presents are at my Mum's house, so we will aim to have Christmas late in January when she should have had both vaccine doses.

I have had to cancel the kennels and rearrange the shopping.Thank fuck I booked a slot here just in case.

Everyone is upset and in tears but we can live with it.

@ketosavedmylife

Is it not within the rules that you can visit as you usually would if in a support bubble. Providing she or you are not bubbled with anyone else, you should be able to stay with her for as long as you want.

All the people saying you are going to continue regardless -what happens if the virus mutates again and becomes even more harmful? Would you still take the same attitude? Do you honestly think the government will have taken this decision lightly?

All the people saying you are going to continue regardless -what happens if the virus mutates again and becomes even more harmful? Would you still take the same attitude?

But it hasn't, has it, so what is the point of this question?

Viruses mutate all the time. That's how they work!!!! It hasn't become more harmful in itself...it is (apparently...how convenient) becoming more virulent but not more harmful.

My friend in London is over the moon she doesn’t have to socialise this Christmas. She says she has no intention of getting dressed before New Year.

I spent 4 Christmases - between the ages of 9 to 13, in a tiny village in what used to be called a Third World country where Christmas wasn't even celebrated...it was just another normal day. We had no television, no internet, no extended family, no friends, no school etc. I survived.

It's one fucking day. I'd rather more people survived to see next Christmas than risk it all for one day.

Tier 4 here, plans postponed. Absolutely no desire to spread this mutated virus outside to other areas.

Word of caution if you're thinking of driving outside your tier.

I drove to my Aunt's funeral back in April during the first lockdown. Only 6 people including the vicar allowed. On the way back home I was stopped and questioned by police because my car number plate flagged up as registered outside the area.

To all posters who think rules don’t apply to them/the virus has a low death rate etc. Have you considered that this is an illness you don’t want?

My parents are not elderly and in good health but my dad has been hospitalised and my mum extremely ill. Previously they would have taken the view of it being a ‘mild illness’ and are now very sick. What makes you think it won’t be you ending up in ICU or sick for several weeks?

I was determined to as we've isolated etc etx. But our local hospital is under si much pressure. So 2 families here Christmas day and that's it. Resources are finite, and God forbid I take a bed through ignoring restrictions and deny someone else. I couldn't live with it.

All change.

My sister is completely devastated she can't come back from London to stay with family. But she won't be coming - however devastated she is - as she's not a selfish dick.

@loulouljh

The rules are not about the virus. They are about control Wake up people.

Yes because governments around the world want to make them selves unpopular & wreck their economies don't they?

To explain my own family situation

I live with dh and ds (4) in a tiny flat, 500sqft, with no garden. I pulled ds out of school 3 weeks ago to isolate before Christmas. Dh and I both WFH. We don't even go to the supermarket, only for walks outside.

My family all live in tier 4. They are:

My mum, with a chronic illness (not one making her vulnerable to covid), lives with my sister who cares for her. My sister suffers badly with her mental health.
My mother has a partner who lives in a T2 area. He can't live with her because he is carer for his elderly mother with dementia. There is no other family there.
My brother, who lives alone, has high functioning autism and a history of suicide attempts.
My other sister, who also lives alone, has a history of self harm and has already been hospitalised once this pandemic.

Who shall I leave alone? Why does it make me a selfish arsehole to ignore the needs of my family and "stay the fuck at home". What would you do in the above situation?

What makes you think it won’t be you ending up in ICU or sick for several weeks?

I'm never certain of that, with any illness I get.

I'm sick of all these gaslighting posts "nobody said it would be over soon"

Boris has. Repeatedly. He said social distancing would likely be done by October. Be said something about normality in November. Then Christmas. This arsehole has repeatedly got people's hopes up. And he's not Barry from down the pub or Ian shouting shite on the village Facebook page, he is unfortunately prime minister and people funnily enough do listen to him.

Maybe you special people knew better but forgive the rest of us plebs for listening to the man who is bastard in charge!!

@loulouljh

Viruses mutate all the time. That's how they work!!!! It hasn't become more harmful in itself...it is (apparently...how convenient) becoming more virulent but not more harmful.

More contagious but not more harmful. More virulent means more harmful.

We were going to form a 3 household bubble 8 people in total.
One member of the family works 8n a hospital and she says its at 95 percent capacity
She thinks most London hospitals are
Soon they will be turning people away
I feel really sad and demoralised
My children have not seen their grandparents or cousins in months and years for those abroad
I hate this and want to blame someone or say f$%% ck it but I do get that turning people away from hospital is a bad thing and I have got to try and put my needs back

@loulouljh Thank you, we need voices like yours. This is not about the virus.

"It's one year."
"Do it next year."
"It's one Xmas not a lifetime."
How do we know that Saint Boris (or whichever Cromwellian dictator replaces him, to continue brainwashing the public) won't be fucking us over next year as well? And the next, and the next, and the next? "We can turn this virus around in twelve weeks." "Normal by September." "Normalish by Christmas." "Significant normality by Easter." According to Saint Boris Who Can Do No Wrong And Always Speaks The Gospel Truth, it was going to be normal by this Christmas. It's about control.

@ekidmxcl

I’ll be following rules, but in return the government needs to vaccinate QUICKLY. It is so pathetically slow and not enough has been reported about this in the media. As well as vaccinating ridiculously slowly, they aren’t prioritising people like teachers, or any of us who are out in it, day in day out and have been since the start of the pandemic.

It's a good thing that we are no longer in the EU otherwise we would still be waiting for EU wide vaccine approval, Germany is getting very frustrated with the process.

My mum will still be coming to us. She lives alone and barely sees a soul so we are her support bubble. Cancelled the other two households we were going to see though.

Even in T4 you are allowed to see people who are part of your regular support bubble.

April as I understand it we are still within EU rules as part of transition - individual countries are free to approve under emergency legislation.

Me and DH were planning on staying home and not seeing anyone anyway. We are going into tier 4 so it’s a good job really. My parents are tier 2 and so is my sister so they’ll spend Christmas Day together.

Support bubbles are not enough to cover all bases. I can't be my mum's support bubble because she doesn't live alone, but my sister can't meet her needs on her own.

@treening. I would do what's best for your family regardless

We go into tier 4 at 12.01 tomorrow morning. We took the sensible decision of cancelling our plans about 10 days ago. Boris should have reached this decision on Monday.

DH and I are 60ish. DC in their early/mid 20s. My mother has her husband. MIL is alone but decided not to come. (220 miles away).

I have hated every minute of lockdown and have never had to work so hard in my life. Managing a large team.over zoom. However, for us it has been easy. Good relationship. Good jobs. Spacious house. I can only imagine how those who have struggled or who are on the edge must be feeling. I am so sorry.