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Deaths everywhere, yet we are still going to work this morning. Why?

532 replies

TwirpingBird · 21/01/2021 06:56

I am sitting here watching BBC breakfast with another harrowing video of ITU nurses at breaking point, ambulances lined up outside, 1800 dead yesterday, and headlines of 'lockdown isnt working', 'people arent complying' blah blah blah. Its all 'you need to follow the rules, you need to stay at home. I am seething.

My husband is leaving for work in an hour where he will enter 5 houses today to do completely non essential work because the government deem him a 'key worker'. My best friend will go to work in her office in a interior design company because she is a 'key worker'. Her husband will go to work giving quotes for kitchens in people's houses because his boss deems him a 'key worker'. None of my friends are on furlough. We are all seeing nobody outside of work. We are all sticking to the 'rules'. But how could we possibly expect the rules to work when everyone is still getting in their cars this morning?

I am raging angry. I am SICK and TIRED of being told 'follow the rules'. WE ARE!!! The rules make no bloody sense. And people are still dropping like flies, and experts are saying the lockdown isnt working, and the public are still being tarred as 'lacking empathy' because we are killing people. We are going to work! Kids are still in school! And then we come home and we do what we can but its never going to be enough. I am starting to wonder why I am bothering to hide myself away, managing a 2 year old and a newborn alone 5 days a week, naively thinking I am helping to manage transmission, when in reality its not helping at all because people are still at work.

OP posts:
FindHungrySamurai · 21/01/2021 12:11

In 1960 markets weren’t queuing up to lend us practically limitless sums at negative real interest rates for extended periods.

There is a time and a place for fiscal prudence. I think spending decisions should always be made thoughtfully, but right at this moment it would be economically and medically catastrophic to take the “household” approach of borrowing the absolute minimum and paying it back as soon as possible.

Sparklingbrook · 21/01/2021 12:12

[quote lightand]@Sparklingbrook
Yes there is a weird attitude to shop staff. It is like they are faceless.[/quote]
That's how it seems for friends I have spoken to. Lots of talk of teachers needing the vaccine asap, and I agree but also shop workers who are coming into contact with loads of different people every day.

But nobody seems too fussed as long as they can get their pasta and loo roll and the shelves are fully stocked-doesn't seem to matter about those making it happen.

TheKeatingFive · 21/01/2021 12:15

In 1960 markets weren’t queuing up to lend us practically limitless sums at negative real interest rates for extended periods.

And who knows how much longer that can continue?

It would be extremely imprudent to decide this period of extremely low interest is anything but finite.

HelloMissus · 21/01/2021 12:40

TheKeating true.
But a bit of inflation and we’re golden.

2020canfuckitself · 21/01/2021 12:49

On my was to my essential coffee shop job today. Excited to serve all the car loads of family and teenagers

TheKeatingFive · 21/01/2021 12:55

On my was to my essential coffee shop job today.

Would no job be preferable?

AmoElCafe · 21/01/2021 12:59

@2020canfuckitself

On my was to my essential coffee shop job today. Excited to serve all the car loads of family and teenagers
Would you rather not have a job to go to? I lost my job as the company I work for couldn’t continue to operate after the first lockdown. I’ll have your job if you don’t want it.
PortChee · 21/01/2021 13:04

@2020canfuckitself

On my was to my essential coffee shop job today. Excited to serve all the car loads of family and teenagers
I have a friend who's just lost her job after years of working for the same company and is now having to face feeding her 3 children on no income. I'm sure she'll have your job if you don't want it?
2020canfuckitself · 21/01/2021 13:05

@AmoElCafe to point being is car loads of families and teenagers. We're supposed to be in lockdown yet we are now busier than we have ever been.
I don't work on the high street, I work on a motorway.

We have customer coming through with caravans, boats on the back of cars. It's madness

TheKeatingFive · 21/01/2021 13:06

We're supposed to be in lockdown yet we are now busier than we have ever been

Most businesses are happy to be busy. It keeps people in jobs.

2020canfuckitself · 21/01/2021 13:09

@TheKeatingFive most staff have been furloughed. We can only have a certain amount of staff on duty. The queues are like nothing I have ever seen.
Staff are exhausted, I'm totally wiped out.

We had one guy come through telling us he was on his way to a test centre! My anxiety went through the roof.

Of course I'm glad of a job, but I would rather have my health

TheKeatingFive · 21/01/2021 13:11

Of course I'm glad of a job, but I would rather have my health

You always have the option to quit if you don’t want to take the risk. Look for something else.

In the meantime, I expect most coffee shops are happy at the thought that they’ll likely stay afloat.

PortChee · 21/01/2021 13:11

The thing with things like coffee shops is it falls under food and drink which is essential. Who's going to sit and decide which places that sell food and drink are essential and which aren't? It's already massively reduced by having take out only, like lots of restaurants. Why is it okay for the people in Tesco to be serving you at the checkout whilst you buy coffee from there but not someone at a coffee shop?

MadameBlobby · 21/01/2021 13:16

My job is providing employment law advice to businesses. Last lockdown a lot closed even where they weren’t instructed to and furloughed staff. This time most of them are remaining open.

BungleandGeorge · 21/01/2021 13:16

Surely grabbing a coffee from a drive through is pretty safe for all involved now the shops have been set up to allow employees to distance.
Risk assessments have been readjusted as we now have readily available testing, asymptomatic testing in care homes, NHS and secondary schools, quite a lot of natural immunity and some people vaccinated.

2020canfuckitself · 21/01/2021 13:16

@TheKeatingFive have you seen the job market lately?
I'm not expecting for us to close, but if we are in a lockdown cars full of teenagers and families should not be coming to coffee shops.

I'm worried, but I should be great full of a job?!

MadameBlobby · 21/01/2021 13:17

The people complaining that they have to work in non essential roles are like turkeys voting for Christmas.

2020canfuckitself · 21/01/2021 13:17

@BungleandGeorge get on Starbucks and costas Twitter. Staff have been told to turn off track and trace. That's if all the staffs posts haven't been removed that is.

PortChee · 21/01/2021 13:18

In the meantime, I expect most coffee shops are happy at the thought that they’ll likely stay afloat

This is it. It's such a fine balance.

They could furlough everyone and close their doors I guess. But then would you be complaining when they went under and you had no job to go back to?

If the government is telling business they can open for restricted business (i.e. take away coffee), businesses will obviously do so because it keeps them going and it all contributes to keeping the economy running whilst this situation is ongoing.

MadameBlobby · 21/01/2021 13:19

[quote 2020canfuckitself]@TheKeatingFive have you seen the job market lately?
I'm not expecting for us to close, but if we are in a lockdown cars full of teenagers and families should not be coming to coffee shops.

I'm worried, but I should be great full of a job?![/quote]
How much contact do you have handing someone a takeaway coffee especially if they pay by contactless? You’d think you were taking your life into your hands instead of a very minimal contact.

2020canfuckitself · 21/01/2021 13:20

@PortChee so why can't everything be open and have the queuing/traffic light system we had before?

What makes one business safer than another?

PortChee · 21/01/2021 13:21

And I get the worry, my husband is self employed, he is allowed to run still even though it's not 'essential' as he can't do his work from home. He has absolutely no choice if we intend on paying our bills. He doesn't even get any help like potential furlough etc... either!

But yes, I (and he) am grateful that he still has work.

2020canfuckitself · 21/01/2021 13:22

@MadameBlobby I don't think I'm taking my life into my hands at all.

I just think the whole situation is ridiculous/confusing and frightening.

2020canfuckitself · 21/01/2021 13:24

@PortChee I've seen numerous people who are self employed be left behind in all this. I'm so sorry and I hope things improve for you greatly

BungleandGeorge · 21/01/2021 13:24

Track and trace isn’t foolproof, it will trigger if you’re 1.5 metres from someone through a brick wall with a small hatch into the open air which you stick a tray through with no contact whatsoever. All payments are contactless you need the shutter open for what a couple of minutes. I think you’re probably one of the safest workers at the moment. Families are still picking kids up from school, going for medical appointments, going to the supermarket etc. All are allowed.