Does anyone else feel like they are just watching things implode?

[StealthPolarBear]

Things are just getting worse and worse and January is going to be hell

From barely knowing of anyone with Covid I suddenly know 4 people diagnosed. I know it's anecdata but this feels like a significant shift

@umpteennamechanges

Because I know no matter how dark, how hopeless or how desperately shit things might seem it always gets better.

Always

Thank you. That's the post I desperately needed to read tonight.

And I am in a low incidence tier 2 area

@umpteennamechanges if there is one lesson experience tells me it is what you say. It's like the only superpower aging has brought me.

Whatever limits we see, they are some sort of illusion. Things will move on anyway.

Nope. I am saving the existential gloom for when Cthulu rides out of the sea and devours Portsmouth. It's probably on the February hitlist, right after we sorted out the Brexit queues (according to Gove).

Right now, I am putting the biggest, cheesiest film on that I can find and forgetting about the world tonight. That's my next step.

@Bluewavescrashing

Yes. DH said, oh well, we'd decided to have Christmas just the 4 of us anyway, why are you grumpy? When I expressed despair at the briefing.

It's the whole situation though. Just because things haven't changed for us doesn't mean it's not a shitty time. He voted tory though 🙄

LTB

I'm not surprised, this virus loves the cold, had massive outbreaks in cold meat factories... Schools have shifted transmission deep into communities,I always expected January to be really hard, carnage.
But once the nights start to get lighter again, weather eases... By march, April, vaccines kicking in we will be fine.

Also I'm sure in all the dearth of information out there I saw that virus's can turn more infectious but actually less strong, so they can survive and not kill the host.

The Times have a vaccine calculator which helps you see when it's likely you'll be invited to get the vaccine.

Based on age and postcode, I'll be 36th million in the queue. So probably not 2021.

The flip side of this is that I must be low risk if there are 36 million more worthy recipients than me.

Yes.i agree op.

In a way I feel worse than I did in March because back in March i thought it was all going to be over after a couple of months. It was scary and weird but it felt temporary. But now, 9 months later, it feels so draining and a bit scary too. And having most of winter ahead of us too.

@Hardbackwriter I had my little girl in July and shes been my light in a shit year. As hard as I try I cannot hate 2020 as I've been truly blessed. I'm sure you will feel the same once they are here. I wouldnt go back and change anything! X

@Igotjelly

I'm Scottish and watched Nicola Sturgeon's press conference too. She seemed so much more empathetic than Boris with essentially the same message. Also adding that the end of the pandemic is coming with the vaccines, it'll just take time for them to roll out but we will get there.

I was quite impressed she says if she could go back she would have locked down sooner

I think things would have imploded without the new restrictions, but without so much Christmas mixing I think there is some hope for January. However, I am disappointed not to be able to see my parents this Christmas 😞

Yes. I was feeling quite elated leaving the hospital where I work on Friday for my Christmas break. But it didn't last. Cried on DH's shoulder this morning at the thought of going back to that hell hole next week.

What cheered me immeasurably today was Chris Whitty’s demeanour. For the last few pressers he has looked ill at ease, worn, fractious. Today, he was confident, crisp, full of beans. I thought to myself: there is a man who is finally in agreement with the government’s plan of action

I feel much better than I did in March too, for the same reasons as previous posters.

Also, we didn’t make any Christmas plans, we haven’t gone back to restaurants etc, and we’ve only seen friends outdoors since the summer... so none of this feels like a big change. None of those things seemed particularly wise no matter what the rules might have been.

What cheered me immeasurably today was Chris Whitty’s demeanour. For the last few pressers he has looked ill at ease, worn, fractious. Today, he was confident, crisp, full of beans. I thought to myself: there is a man who is finally in agreement with the government’s plan of action

Yes actually he did didn't he. I've always thought he seemed a really competent, trustworthy man but today he (and Patrick Vallance) were reassuringly brutally honest. I did drift off a bit when Boris started waffling though.

@Bluewavescrashing

I'm really not looking forward to going back to teaching my class in January (from a health point of view--I bloody love my job). The risk will be high and I'll be stuck in a room with 28 little people all breathing on me, licking their water bottles etc as per usual. The rates will sky rocket and I do feel at risk, however setting home school learning is so much worse.

January is always a bit shit but this one will be extra mega shitty shit.

I am sorry. Can't be easy working in schools atm .

@HearMeSnore

Yes. I was feeling quite elated leaving the hospital where I work on Friday for my Christmas break. But it didn't last. Cried on DH's shoulder this morning at the thought of going back to that hell hole next week.

I am sorry, that must be so hard. But thank you

The problem is the virus mutates, (already has done) thus the vaccine could render useless. If that is the case then lockdowns will be a frequent thing every winter. Mask wearing will not be going nowhere and social distancing too. People blaming each other. We are going to have a fractured society. I hope I am wrong though

I feel worn down, the extra work it creates, the worry on how it impacts ds life

But it’s not forever

@Waspnest

What cheered me immeasurably today was Chris Whitty’s demeanour. For the last few pressers he has looked ill at ease, worn, fractious. Today, he was confident, crisp, full of beans. I thought to myself: there is a man who is finally in agreement with the government’s plan of action

Yes actually he did didn't he. I've always thought he seemed a really competent, trustworthy man but today he (and Patrick Vallance) were reassuringly brutally honest. I did drift off a bit when Boris started waffling though.

I am lifted by this too. They really do see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I always knew this was coming. Chris Whitby and co did always always say so, even if people chose not to listen

But it’s been worse than I thought in terms of speed of infection increase each time
Jan to March will be crap. But I try to see it as two 6 week blocks. Then sweet relief of normality starting. It will be a bumpy road then but I don’t think it will slip back to hell as bad again

Stay strong everyone

There is no wave and there is no peak. We're in the peak and the wave. It's all the same.

Tis shit for sure. I think it's about to get a whole load more shit very fast. But the vaccine really is round the corner so I am pinning my Hope's on a change come April. I hope. We are in the same boat which is a comfort. It's a bit harder to feel desperate knowing that nearly everyone else feels the same as you.

Just keep swimming and all that jazz

I'm not in the UK but my mil and sil are in different parts of London, my bil is in Manchester, do the new restrictions mean my mil is to spend Christmas alone? Can't imagine she will obey if thats whats asked of her. She travelled to Manchester only a few weeks ago and went out for dinner with my bil and a different friend each night, no one thought that might be risky, sil laughed at us here in Ireland last March because we were in lockdown and she was taking her kids to the theatre in London, later in the year as soon as restrictions lifted she was at a theme park, again no one seemed to think it was risky, same family took a few weeks in Turkey in late summer because they 'needed it after the stress of covid', they have absolutely no financial worries, high earners, big house and garden so weren't on top of each other, I really hope things improve in the UK soon particularly in Northern Ireland as the hospitals there seem to be struggling.