Tier 4. I'm cooking the duck & the goose; dd cooking the lamb. There's so many of us you see!

[RudolphToldRedNoseNotSymptom]

I've just had this conversation with a lady who was here in a professional capacity this afternoon. I'm not going to mention the profession as I'll be slated for slating the profession.

In any case, the lady was talking about Christmas plans. She said 'we're all within 5 minutes of each other - my brothers and sisters and my 2 children (in their 40's she mentioned)".

So she said that she would be cooking the duck and the goose and her dd would be cooking the lamb - as 'there's so many of us'.

We're in a London Borough ravaged by new spike - communicated to me from the body this lady works for.

She did say that they all got tests yesterday and 'we're all negative'.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I'll be spending Christmas home alone.

Don't worry, I'm not going to complain, or report or anything else. I'm just a little bemused perhaps.

She did add - 'they're all my bubble'.

It beggars belief.

Yes, it really does.

Any chance they are going to cook and swap? As we are doing something similar with a neighbour - I have a large turkey, she has a large ham. So we will exchange half of each in a socially distanced way on Christmas evening so that at least the interminable consumption of leftovers will be a little varied.
(Note, I do not expect this is what she means, just hoping).

there are so many people having sleepovers, who went to stay with family earlier than planned.. No one cares, no one checks and there are no consequences.

I don't know if it's infuriating or depressing. I am guessing they don't own a shop or a struggling business, and are not affected when the schools will have to close down. They think they are immune to the pandemic.

You only have to look at posts on here about parties, travelling all over, family gatherings, play dates, dating, teens having friends over etc. It’s very depressing watching selfish rule breaking when people are getting ill, losing jobs as businesses can’t trade etc.

It's NHS right.

Groan. It’s staggering

I was hoping she’d say they’ll drop it round to one another but clearly not.

No - she's neither NHS nor a teacher! I really don't want to say as the post will be seen as just trying to knock the profession. I'm just a bit disgruntled. When you're fighting loneliness and mental illness and this is how other people are behaving. What's the point? I give up!

I'm really not being provocative here –genuine question – Assuming they'll all drive rather than get public transport, and go just between each others' houses rather than going via the shops or whatever, is it OK seeing as they're all negative?

Negative at the time of testing, doesn’t mean they are not incubating the virus

YANBU. But I don’t understand what the occupation has to do with it anyway.

@lcdododo wtaf?! Are you a troll by any chance?

Is she a teacher by any chance, OP?

The profession is actually really relevant unfortunately. Or put it this way - she should know better.

@IntermittentParps

I'm really not being provocative here –genuine question – Assuming they'll all drive rather than get public transport, and go just between each others' houses rather than going via the shops or whatever, is it OK seeing as they're all negative?

No because if you start like this, many people will start to decide by themselves if it’s dangerous or not. And we will end up back to square one as if there had been no lockdown

She mentioned brothers and sisters (both in the plural) and her two children - presumably with families, though she didn't mention that. I'm assuming that if a duck, goose, and lamb is required, then probably 20 people? I'm assuming they will be going to hers, hence her dd cooking too. Her role requires contact with people in the community. She also said that she's working throughout the Christmas, apart from bank holidays. To be honest, I've selfish reasons for not reporting her as she was really nice and friendly and unfortunately I've had some nasty interactions with her colleagues. It just seems incredibly tone deaf to what's going on.

To call a spade a spade it is horrifically selfish for them to be behaving like that. I am a doctor who is self isolating and feeling horrifically guilty as I see pleas from hospitals across London for locums as they are swamped with covid patients and struggling to cope. I wish I could help but instead I am inside for several more days.

Testing negative means nothing and her and her family are breaking the law and putting themselves and others at risk. I’m tired of those who think the rules don’t apply to them when my colleagues are at breaking point, more people are getting infected and people are dying of this virus.

It does seem that some people are obeying the rules (is it law yet?) and others not. It's annoying given that she is going to peoples' houses too and given the nature of her role, she will be going to a lot of vulnerable and poor families. Aw look, I wouldn't wish isolation on anyone, so I suppose if you have family, I'm not going to rain on her duck and goose! Let them at it. The government can only do so much.

I suppose by about 7/1/21 we will know how many people observed the ''rules''.

I'm assuming that if a duck, goose, and lamb is required, then probably 20 people?

Not necessarily. FIL usually does a dinner at xmas and he gets duck, turkey and goose but a lot tends to last way after xmas. He gets the three so people have choice, not as he needs that many to feed those going.

I question the intelligence of people broadcasting stuff like this though. Surely if you were going to break the rules, you would keep quiet about it. Even more weird is that this is not friends/family and instead basically a stranger, randomly saying shes doing this. Loads of detail in this, maybe she should start a diary, instead of randomly telling randomers her every planned move and such.

How many randoms?!

There's dozens of people arrived from London since Saturday, consequently we've been dumped back into tier 3. People think the rules don't apply to them

You only need to look at posts on here about how many bubbles people have. It’s often a suggestion posters can form a support bubble to get around x,y or z even when they’re already in support bubbles. Unsurprising.

It’s no wonder we can’t contain this virus.