Page 10 | Poll: Have you broken the rules? (and WYBU)

CrazyToast · 2020-12-29T12:05:28+00:00

Inspired by a suggestion on another post (about whether more people are breaking the rules than MN discussion suggests), here is a poll: YABU: I have never broken the covid rules YANBU: I have broken the covid rules at least once (even if it was in a tiny way). Honest anonymous answers! I know it should be in the Coronavirus area but there is no voting facility there. Feel free to discuss if the results show people are BU or NBU.

lockdownbreakdown · 30/12/2020 14:35

I haven't been inside anywhere apart from the shops since August but I wont stick to the dont drive for exercise nonsense. We happily took a small drive to go sledging in the snow . All activities have been outside since March though, even when cafes and softplay have been open so we are more strict than the rules in the summer and slightly lax during the lockdown. It evens out as good compliance I would say.

LunarSea · 30/12/2020 15:32

I think even the most law abiding of us have probably on occasion done things which were minor breaches of the ever changing rules, even if it wasn't intentional.

I'm sure for example there have been times when getting food that I've briefly been less than 2 metres away from other people - simply because the aisles / distance between checkouts aren't wide enough to avoid that.

In the first lockdown, when delivering food shopping to in-laws and they came to their door to pick it up before I'd left, I had a brief long distance conversation with them from the end of their driveway, which was technically not allowed at the time, although probably no different to what would have happened with a delivery driver. About the same time we did come across friends when out walking and again had an unplanned distanced conversation - also technically not allowed, but not even saying hello to someone you knew would have seemed odd.

I've also interpreted ds's three lots of 2 weeks self isolation last term as meaning don't have contact with people outside the family rather than "stay in your room on your own" so have allowed him downstairs, and even - shock horror - into the garden.

More recently I drove from tier 3 to Heathrow in tier 4 area, and out again without having contact with anyone, to pick a family member up when (non tourism) flights had to be changed after lots of countries put up sudden barriers to flights to/from UK after the "out of control mutant variant" was announced. All the cancellations meant original flight plans were changed and Heathrow was the only route back to UK. It wasn't planned that way but certainly safer then the alternative of him getting back by public transport (when the advice was to use public transport only if there was no alternative, so it was a choice of which rule to break, as they were contradictory).

Xerochrysum · 30/12/2020 15:43

No, I haven't. And thought that was normal. Clearly not. I just hope this will end soon.

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 30/12/2020 15:43

Can't see the vote but yep. Have broken the rules several times. Saw my dad Christmas day. See another family inside their house regularly.

See my therapist every week who works from home in another county.

Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady · 30/12/2020 16:09

Yes - in the sense that we've gone for a walk with more people than allowed. Was I being unreasonable, no I don't think I was. Since my child is an only child and this was the only way for him to see his cousins/other children

VanGoghsDog · 30/12/2020 18:42

My brother's wife has flown to her home country. Brother and wife live in London, T4, brother works on public transport. It's illegal for her to travel. She has a three year old who had gone with her, the age where the virus often doesn't show.
Her home country has low numbers and no news of them having evidence of this new strain......just have to hope she doesn't take it with her!

She will not quarantine when she comes back either - she didn't last time, my mum just says "how can she, brother has to go to work".

joystir59 · 30/12/2020 20:15

@LakieLady
So sorry for your loss, please remember you are still allowed a support bubble, and don't be any more isolated than need be, get out for walks in the fresh air, be kind to yourself and do what you need to do to keep your MH up, as grief is overwhelming and unbearable without support imo

Saltblood · 30/12/2020 20:19

The vote has been removed because it was edging up to 90% of people admitting they’ve broken the rules.

steppemum · 30/12/2020 20:22

YANBU
we have been in my parents house a few times, in sept/oct, technically allowed for 6 I think at the time, but we are 5 and plus parents = 7.

But the real rule breaker is my ds, he has a girlfriend, she goes to a different school. they are 18. I cannot make him obey the rules, they are constantly at each others houses, even in lockdown, and they just don't care.
To be fair, they are strict about not mixing with others, but given that I ahve kids at 2 different secondaries (one is sixth form) and she is at another and her mum works at yet another, they are effectively smashing our bubles wide open.
I confess I have given up. Not only do I not have the power to stop him, I can also see that it is pretty awful being 18 and not being able to see your girlfriend for weeks and weeks.
But we have made him stay away from grandparents, and actually haven't been close to grandparents since before nov lockdown.

Now, she has moved in with us, so there is less back and forth, fine. Expect that she still sees her mum

Nanny0gg · 30/12/2020 22:01

@steppemum

YANBU we have been in my parents house a few times, in sept/oct, technically allowed for 6 I think at the time, but we are 5 and plus parents = 7.

But the real rule breaker is my ds, he has a girlfriend, she goes to a different school. they are 18. I cannot make him obey the rules, they are constantly at each others houses, even in lockdown, and they just don't care.
To be fair, they are strict about not mixing with others, but given that I ahve kids at 2 different secondaries (one is sixth form) and she is at another and her mum works at yet another, they are effectively smashing our bubles wide open.
I confess I have given up. Not only do I not have the power to stop him, I can also see that it is pretty awful being 18 and not being able to see your girlfriend for weeks and weeks.
But we have made him stay away from grandparents, and actually haven't been close to grandparents since before nov lockdown.

Now, she has moved in with us, so there is less back and forth, fine. Expect that she still sees her mum

Of course you can! He can stay at her house!

You're allowing the back and forth and it's not right!

Nanny0gg · 30/12/2020 22:02

Wonder how many will carry on with New Year Celebrations now?

Thus making it definite that schools won't go back till February at the earliest?

And I wonder what provision Rishi Sunak will make for this round of business closures.

Thanks All!!

FindHungrySamurai · 30/12/2020 22:19

I specifically didn’t vote because saying “Yes I’ve broken the rules” (on one particular occasion over a period of eight and a half months as opposed to a thousand occasions when I’ve taken the decision to abide by rules/guidelines) gives an entirely false impression of “OMG absolutely everyone is breaking the rulez!!!”

BogRollBOGOF · 30/12/2020 22:45

I have commited heinous acts like lifting a 7 & 9 yo over a fence into a playground to ease my 7yo's depressed behaviour after 3 months of less social life than a prisoner.
Commited the crime of exceeding the rule of 6 with surplus children rather than leaving children at home unattended which is not explicitly illegal.
At the point where I ended up sobbing on my friend's sofa in June, the Covid risk was far lower than the risk of hypothermia from being legally drenched in the garden.

Sanity is important.
The risks of following the rules was far higher than breaking them at those times.

I've not seen more than a household at a time. I've rarely been into houses even when it was allowed. My access to people beyond my household is poor. We have no access to bubbles. I can not live healthily with only DH, an autistic 10 yo and 7 yo for company.

user1471588124 · 30/12/2020 23:23

Its been against the rules for me and my long term partner to see each inside for months where I live and we've been breaking that as its just not sustainable over this length of time in my opinon.

steppemum · 31/12/2020 09:40

Of course you can! He can stay at her house!

that is quite an assumption. Assumes her parents would allow it/have space for it.
I /he cannot afford to pay for him to lodge there
He is in his last year of A levels, I would like some element of supervision over work etc.

Anyway, it is not my choice, it is his, we have had many conversations over the last few months. Even if he meets her outside, there is hardly going to be any social distancing going on is there?

Haggertyjane · 31/12/2020 10:41

We will have to travel 4+ hours from tier 3 to tier 4 and stay in my BILs house after his DWs funeral. He is devastated and alone.

Kljnmw3459 · 31/12/2020 10:46

No I've definitely followed the rules! It's been hard especially because I don't really know what the rules were but I'm still very sure that I've done it. No further comments!

InDireStraits · 31/12/2020 11:14

Not in first lockdown but we did break some over the summer (I think - not entirely sure what was law & what was ‘guidance’ at that time). For example, met with family (approx 10 people for BBQ in garden) in good weather. Haven’t broken any rules (law or guidance) since schools went back in September & have probably restricted ourselves more than the rules a lot of the time by choice.

RufustheSniggeringReindeer · 31/12/2020 11:23

@FindHungrySamurai

I specifically didn’t vote because saying “Yes I’ve broken the rules” (on one particular occasion over a period of eight and a half months as opposed to a thousand occasions when I’ve taken the decision to abide by rules/guidelines) gives an entirely false impression of “OMG absolutely everyone is breaking the rulez!!!”

Yes

Thats an excellent point

Some people have broken the rules on a regular basis for one reason or another and others will have broken a rule once or twice

Some people will break a rule by having a party of 50 and others by forgetting hand sanitizer or being a smidge too close to someone

So have you broken the rules is a bit of a blunt question

And to be honest the odd poster on here calling people selfish may well have been less than two metres away from someone IN THE LAST 8 months

gannett · 31/12/2020 11:29

Left the house more than once a day at the start.

Lost track of what the rules exactly were over the summer, socialised indoors a couple of times with groups of under 10 people.

Early December socialised indoors once with one other person.

I don't think any of those things were high-risk in the context of the numbers at the time, the people in question and my low-risk lifestyle otherwise. There are several things that were allowed that I think would have been extremely stupid to do - like going on holiday (domestic OR international) or making Xmas bubble plans before it was all cancelled.