Why do people keep saying that others are prolonging this?

[Raiseny]

It’s driving me mad! It’s a virus! Socialising isn’t prolonging it or setting us back, it’s making it risky for the nhs to manage. Of course that’s something we need to consider but wake up! There’s other illnesses, mental health being key here, that matter.

The virus isn’t going away. Tiers or no tiers. It’s a virus! It mutates, as all Coronaviruses do. I’m so sick of the virtue signalling like meeting a friend for a coffee has caused the virus to stay around longer. It hasn’t.

Stop making people feel bad for needing their friends and family enough to risk transmission. Am I really on my own with this?!

@PhilCornwall1

But what’s the lesser of two evils? People suffering or people dying?

I'd say people dying.

Me too.

@DonkeyMcFluff
NZ is an absolute outlier. No borders. Limited contact. Able to close flights. But still not ever gonna be virus free.

@Happynewyear1

And God forbid you've had ANY sort of enjoyment or fun since March 2020. Don't you know we're 'in the middle of a pandemic ?!'

Global pandemic. You’ve got to say the global or you’re not truly superior.

Actually so long as I’m not the one dying people suffering is worse as it affects me

If everybody or at least the majority followed the guidelines:

• minimal social contact indoors between households
• socially distanced
• wearing masks
• washing hands

Then we could have:

• hospitality
• retail
• school
• industry
• NHS capacity for non-urgent care
• meeting with other households in a minimal way but still happening

But there are enough people who think that; their enjoyment, their socialising with family, their ability to gather with multiple households, their desire to go out drinking with colleagues, their need to have a buffet/bbq to celebrate their birthday, their distaste of wearing a mask..... is more important than following the guidelines.

As such we lose the balance and we end up with tighter restrictions.

Reading this thread it is no wonder we are in this mess.

@FatGirlShrinking

If everybody or at least the majority followed the guidelines:

• minimal social contact indoors between households
• socially distanced
• wearing masks
• washing hands

Then we could have:

• hospitality
• retail
• school
• industry
• NHS capacity for non-urgent care
• meeting with other households in a minimal way but still happening

But there are enough people who think that; their enjoyment, their socialising with family, their ability to gather with multiple households, their desire to go out drinking with colleagues, their need to have a buffet/bbq to celebrate their birthday, their distaste of wearing a mask..... is more important than following the guidelines.

As such we lose the balance and we end up with tighter restrictions.

Nonsense. The majority of people have been following those guidelines and we’re still having lockdown after lockdown. The virus isn’t distinguishing between whether people are meeting up socially in households or meeting for work/school etc.

The virus isn’t distinguishing between whether people are meeting up socially in households or meeting for work/school etc.

This one is always trotted out, and it’s so silly.

It doesn’t need to. We just need to reduce the amount of overall interactions, prioritising those that create the greatest benefit.

@ElephantWhaleRabbit

It gives them a “bogey man” to focus their anger and fear on.

Blaming wide spread rule breaking is more palatable than the truth - i.e. that the virus is now endemic and can’t be stopped unless we all hide under the bed for the next decade.

This

It’ll last how long it lasts. There was high compliance first time with lockdown and look where it’s got us