How are things in London?

[Frozenintime]

Anyone in London area?

Rainy! I’m mostly at home, or in the local park. What are you imagining? No dead bodies lying in the streets nor any all night raves near me. It’s much like everywhere else in the country in lockdown I would imagine.

@ICUNurse

Out on the street everything is as normal, people are acting as if nothing is happening. Things are closed of course and masks in shops and on public transport, but other than that you wouldn’t know anything is happening. I work in ICU in a central London teaching hospital and the situation is absolutely dire. Not just in ICU actually but on the wards as well. It’s much, much worse than the first wave and actually beyond my worst nightmares. The fact is quite simply that if you need Intensive care now, (for covid or any other reason) you will not receive good care. You may survive, due to the exceptional efforts of NHS staff but the nurse looking after you will either be looking after multiple other critically ill patients or alternatively may have no ICU experience at all.

I’m so fearful for the coming weeks, my patients and the mental health of myself and my colleagues.

I am so worried about this and I appreciate everything you and your colleagues are doing.

I have fairly poor health (so for example I had three emergency hospital admissions last year) and I am just terrified at the moment about the possibility of being in hospital. London hospitals, the LAS etc. seem dangerously understaffed in regular circumstances, I can’t even begin to imagine how bad it must be right now.

It’s not covid I am scared of (I had in back in March/April so I might possibly have some immunity to reinfection and I am shielding so very unlikely to be infected now), but am really worried about needing to go into hospital for something else and there just not to be adequate care due to short staffing etc.

OP not back.

Last time my local park wasnt busy because the police were circling with megaphones etc

This time, I don't know, I workout indoors in this grim weather. Will be interested to see if it's busy with benches taped off etc.

I'm indoors and it's really quiet outside. On a normal Saturday night plenty of (pissed) people would be walking past as I'm near a few pubs and restaurants.

I am so sorry and grateful for the healthcare workers that have posted on this thread. I’m a shift worker (not health) and working mostly a 4pm til 1am shift travelling from zone 3 into zone 1 on my bike. Travelling home at night is completely dead, no one about, very few cars, night buses that pass me are empty but I do find my cycle in busier than I would expect, more children in school and more people expected to be in their office/workplace than first time so many more cars than last March/April.

I went for a run today and many people about, mostly everyone in pairs or family groups. I think most people are trying to be ‘good’.

I haven’t noticed a drop-off in traffic but my local shopping area (SW, zone 3) is a lot less busy although there are still plenty of people about. More mask wearing on the street although still far too many with masks under their noses! I’ve been on the tube a few times and mask compliance/distancing was way better than on buses - I feel sorry for bus drivers as lots of people get on without masks and they can’t really challenge them.

Parks fairly busy too, at least when it’s not raining. Was gutted there was no snow this morning.

All in all it’s fairly normal unless you’re inside a hospital

Forgot to add, waaaaay less aeroplane noise (on the flight path), it’s quite an event when a plane goes over Not as many helicopters either, strangely, because we’re near a hospital with a helipad and I’d have thought HEMS would still be fairly busy.

Over the east side. Rates very high. Lots of people out for walks and jogging - many more wearing masks whilst out. So quiet especially at weekends. Friend who is physio has worked in ICU for first time to help. Surprised at number of young people in there. Knew very few people who got Covid in first lockdown but so different now. Know loads of people with it, in hospital and some died. Several in care homes. Lots isolating. People seem more fed up and nervous. Know of some people who broke rules and did meet at Christmas and now regretting it. Vaccinations for over 75s just started. Postal service dire and people upset at missing vital hospital appts etc. Post often 3/4 weeks late, no delivery here for last 2 weks.
Dont want to leave the house this time and managed to get click and collect but never managed a delivery from supermarket except Iceland. Rates have really dropped in last week so encouraging but still over 1000.

My very local shops are as busy as they’ve ever been during “the new normal”. I had a lateral flow test the other day in the nearest big town and popped into the supermarket next door after to do my main shop and it was empty. Never seen it so quiet. Also took DS to the our local big park for a 5km run for our daily exercise and that’s was very empty too. Everyone is wearing masks outdoors. My in-laws have had their covid jabs. Not seen any dementors hanging about.

@peacockfeather11

Definitely more people out - you would never think we were in a lockdown. Park was busy,

Saw pictures of Matt Hancock in a crowded London park yesterday. Do as I say not as I do.

@ICUNurse @crocsonmyfeet where are people saying they caught Covid from when they present to you on the ward/hospital?

Parks are choc a block, but most observing social distancing. Although in my view we should be wearing masks at pinch points when people are less than 2 m apart (gates, the main paths).

Roads still fairly busy.

Queues outside our smaller village shops.

I’m in Kent, in one of the worst affected areas in Nov/early Dec and we went into tier 4 before Christmas.

Our local hospital has been the news regularly as struggling but this past week I’ve not heard anything so hopefully it’s getting better. I live close to the ambulance station and hospital, can hear the sirens from inside my house. There has defiantly been a reduction over the last couple of weeks, not sure if that’s because ambulances are backed up outside the hospital or they’re not getting called out as much (really hoping it’s the latter).

I’ve been out in the car twice this week along a very busy A road. First time was last Sunday to the supermarket, both the road and supermarket were very quiet. Drove along the same road on Friday morning it was busier than last Sunday but still no where near as busy as I’d expect it usually. My local park and play area aren’t exceptionally busy either.

The infection rate is falling here now which I think reflects how people have been behaving over the last few weeks, hoping it continues.

I find some of these comments and observations utterly bizarre.

People are acting normally in the streets - how would you like us to act?!

Parks are busy, you’d never think we were in lockdown - lockdown is the exact reason why parks are busy!

People in M and S were looking at sweets - would you prefer we shopped blindfolded?!

Ah, but sweets aren’t ESSENTIAL, pastapestoparmesan. Do you want people to die???

@MrsWombat

My very local shops are as busy as they’ve ever been during “the new normal”. I had a lateral flow test the other day in the nearest big town and popped into the supermarket next door after to do my main shop and it was empty. Never seen it so quiet. Also took DS to the our local big park for a 5km run for our daily exercise and that’s was very empty too. Everyone is wearing masks outdoors. My in-laws have had their covid jabs. Not seen any dementors hanging about.

I know people say that London is a series of villages, but I was wondering what you meant by 'nearest big town' ?

We have got non-symptomatic lateral flow testing here (two within early walking distance) and I had thought it was set up in every London borough by now.

London has reached dog saturation point. Nobody get any more fucking dogs.

Our area of London was named and shamed in the national press as a popular nearby market with lots of independent coffee shops is generally heaving, especially over the weekends with dozens of people milling around outside the shops chatting away, clearly not in bubbles etc. But they are in the main white, middle class, hipsters, MAMIL's etc so the police here are leaving them to it.

During the last lockdown hundreds descended on the nearby park for picnics and an indie band showed up for an impromptu session. Again no action taken.

@SquirmOfEels - the housing joins up all across London, generally with a little row of local shops and pub or two by tube/train stations or main roads. You can look them up on Streetview to see the difference e.g. Kew (tiny patch of shops by station) versus Richmond upon Thames (lots of shops turning left out of the station and walking up). Some boroughs have large "town centre" areas with lots of shops on criss-crossing streets, sometimes pedestrianised and maybe a little shopping centre, usually with restaurants, pubs etc. Soho/ central London is one, other examples are Brixton, Greenwich and Kingston upon Thames (including markets). Most boroughs have a main area for shops that may have the borough name or may not e.g. Harrow on the Hill, Wembley Central, Ealing has its main shopping/pubs/restaurants in either Southall or Ealing Central, Clapham is either Junction or High Street.

I'm in Central London. This week I have popped out to the shops x1 and taken older kids for a long canal walk x1. Both quite busy, even in the crappy weather.

Yesterday I had to drop some medical equipment back to a hospital on the other side of London. Drove via Oxford Street / Hyde Park and it was utterly empty. The weather was awful but it was actually eerie.

What did strike me was why all the shops have their lights on??? Some of the shops in Oxford Street as humongous.... what a waste to have the lights on!!

I live on a quiet street so little human or vehicle traffic.

I work in a school and a lot of staff are still in every day, so things are still going on a “normal”. A lot of heightened anxiety though especially last week with the new variant and how it was increasing in London.

Far amount of traffic on the road but definitely less than usual (especially Friday - maybe those who can’t work from home every day can on a Friday!)

Sorry random sentence at the end there. My road is generally quiet so not indicative of how busy it actually is outside.

@pastapestoparmesan

I find some of these comments and observations utterly bizarre.

People are acting normally in the streets - how would you like us to act?!

Parks are busy, you’d never think we were in lockdown - lockdown is the exact reason why parks are busy!

People in M and S were looking at sweets - would you prefer we shopped blindfolded?!

I hear you.

OP still not back...

Why are you asking OP?

East London here. Like pp have said... parks pretty busy with people walking, jogging, kids riding bikes etc. But everyone seems to be sticking to the rules, I don’t see many groups of 3 or more.
For me personally, I’ve kept DD in nursery which has been a life saver during this lockdown. I’m keeping busy on the dry days by taking DS for long walks in his pram and treating myself to coffees when I can. I had a moment of “sod this, I need to see people” last week but have just heard of a friends dad passing from Covid, plus another friend and his dad (elderly) his tested positive so it gave me the kick up the backside I needed to knuckle down again. I’m really hoping this time next month we’re talking about getting life back to normal.