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

[TwirpingBird]

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.

Record numbers of hospital admissions from care homes and record numbers of care home deaths - these people aren't going out to work.

If you want to protect the NHS get angry about that, and realise that stopping people going to work isn't protecting the NHS because how do you think it is paid for?

And give the BBC News coverage a swerve (plus Sky, the DM etc) their coverage has been sensationalism at its worst and pure click bait.

Lots of people are still working, lots of children at school. Cases are dropping but by how much? They are never going to drop as low as last lockdown because too many people are still going about their normal lives, mainly because companies can’t afford to keep staff at home. The only way numbers will drop low enough is if the vaccine is successful and it could take all year to get enough people vaccinated. Covid isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Lockdown isn’t going to work unless it’s a real lockdown.

@Lovemusic33

Lots of people are still working, lots of children at school. Cases are dropping but by how much? They are never going to drop as low as last lockdown because too many people are still going about their normal lives, mainly because companies can’t afford to keep staff at home. The only way numbers will drop low enough is if the vaccine is successful and it could take all year to get enough people vaccinated. Covid isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Lockdown isn’t going to work unless it’s a real lockdown.

They are dropping rapidly here, halved in a few weeks

Nearly all councils falling now and overall cases are much lower - check out stats

We still have people going in to our office because they don’t like working from home. Annoyingly, our director doesn’t deem it necessary to close our office he would rather leave it up to individuals. I’ve pointed out to them if those staff go down with Covid, I won’t be covering their workload.

One of my colleagues is going into the office. His mental health can’t take being at home all day (he has a breakdown during lockdown 1).

In his case, I’d rather he risked Covid, we’re much more likely to to lose him to MH issues if we make him stay at home.

Yes I was under the impression that the lockdown is having some impact.

I can't see compliance continuing for much longer, and the government have been advised of this, which is why they have gone hell for leather with the campaign that people must stay at home or people will DIE. There is a collective switching off, a numbing of the senses and a desensitising process that has taken place.
The government/SAGE maybe have one more month, if we are lucky, but once March arrives and the virus naturally recedes most people will be done with this. They will act to protect their own mental health, and that of their own children. They will act to protect their livelihoods and homes. No amount of horror adverts or rolling intensive care footage will stop the human instinct to survive, once people feel they have reached the end of the line, lockdown will end to all intents and purposes. I very much doubt we will be able to do this again for many reasons, so closing the borders, driving down the infections and really getting on top of this wave with this lockdown is absolutely imperative.

@MintyMabel

We still have people going in to our office because they don’t like working from home. Annoyingly, our director doesn’t deem it necessary to close our office he would rather leave it up to individuals. I’ve pointed out to them if those staff go down with Covid, I won’t be covering their workload.

Funny how before Covid introverts just had to get on with it and suffer the open plan office, without the option to wfh.

We still have people going in to our office because they don’t like working from home.

Why don't they like it though? Some people live in shared houses & have to work on a bed with shit wi-fi. Some people have offices, printers etc. Not everyone is having the same experience.

Really hope that everyone who feel lockdown should be tougher aren't on here in a years time moaning when taxes etc go up as they inevitably will to pay for lockdown, even the lockdown we have now let alone what tougher one would cost!

In your examples keyworker status isn’t correct and is also irrelevant- for the private company examples anyway not sure what your dh does

The reason they are not furloughed is because demand is there and the reason they are not wfh is because they have to go on site

I can't see compliance continuing for much longer, and the government have been advised of this, which is why they have gone hell for leather with the campaign that people must stay at home or people will DIE.

I agree & think a lot of posters overlook human nature. One aspect of furlough was it kept some people happy & more likely to stay home so a good thing. I do think there was an element of not wanting harsher Christmas restrictions because so many wouldn't comply. Anecdotally that was certainly the case in my area.
People don't want to be cooped up forever so have to be scared into compliance some what.

Really hope that everyone who feel lockdown should be tougher aren't on here in a years time moaning when taxes etc go up as they inevitably will to pay for lockdown

Oh they absolutely will. No question,

I agree op. Our lives haven’t really changed at all. Dh works in manufacturing, he’s still working as normal. I work in early years and apparently we are all immune to COVID, so still working as normal, with all my normal under 5s coming in (including those who have parents at home, not working. I’m open, they are paying, I completely understand why they are sending them). 2 dc still at school (I’m a key worker and they are classed as vulnerable).
Although it seems what they have put in place is working to a point as the case numbers are coming down. It will always take a couple of weeks for death numbers to reduce, so I guess we just have to wait it out now.

Oh they absolutely will. No question,

100% or they will be arguing for a tax that doesn't impact them.

@Lovemusic33

Lots of people are still working, lots of children at school. Cases are dropping but by how much? They are never going to drop as low as last lockdown because too many people are still going about their normal lives, mainly because companies can’t afford to keep staff at home. The only way numbers will drop low enough is if the vaccine is successful and it could take all year to get enough people vaccinated. Covid isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Lockdown isn’t going to work unless it’s a real lockdown.

What’s your definition of a ‘real lockdown’?

With furlough, it was only to be used by businesses who were facing a lag in demand during lockdown. I was furloughed then. However, now my work is thriving. We are so busy. Why would they furlough anyone? It would be detrimental to their business to furlough their employees when they have demand and need for them in work.

I'm sure some businesses could do more. But they aren't going to martyr themselves so everyone can stay home if there's demand for them to be in and working!

The thing I really don't understand is companies who don't allow their staff to work from home when it is perfectly possible to do so. How incredibly short sighted. Feeling the need to micromanage your staff just deomstrates poor leadership.

I am extremely fortunate that the company I work for had the foresight and intelligence to realise that to stay in the game you have to provide your workforce the means to do your job at home. This included hardware, software, a great IT department to provide back up, and a CEO and management team who really "gets it".

Also, it helped that the lease on the offices wasn't renewed so that was a massive cost that they no longer have.

As a result nearly all of our competitors have gone to the wall, and we are "the last man standing". The staff who haven't been furloughed are working their socks off because we all want to keep our jobs, and our CEO does regular business updates on Teams and makes everyone feel appreciated.

This sounds a bit Utopia like, but in the current climate it does feel like that. I feel very privileged to work for this company.

My “friends” son tested positive for Covid at the weekend. Yesterday there was a post on FB showing the whole family gathered to celebrate the youngest siblings “lockdown birthday with my bubble” so as well as the 23 yo lad with confirmed Covid there was his Mum, Dad, two younger siblings and two grandparents. When someone commented about the son “shouldn’t be mixing with anyone and the rest of you should be isolating” the response was “but he feels okay so it’s probably gone”.
I felt like saying “PEOPLE ARE DYING - FOLLOW THE RULES” - but I just blocked them. You can’t fix stupid.

I very much agree with feelingquitehopeful

There’s a last hurrah about this lockdown. The government know their days are numbered.

@bigmistake1 have you ever been in a pupil referral unit?

Probably not. Methinks!

aren't going to martyr themselves

This is the crux of it. Poster A who is solvent & happy at home wants poster B to give up their livelihood/mental health, etc so that Poster A can get back to normal life faster.

@gongsr

aren't going to martyr themselves

This is the crux of it. Poster A who is solvent & happy at home wants poster B to give up their livelihood/mental health, etc so that Poster A can get back to normal life faster.

So true.

@QualityRoads

During last year's lockdown, government briefings showed slides of falling numbers of people using public and private transport. Why is that information not being shown now? Because many, many more people are back in the office and at non-essential places of work. What is the point in having detailed and wise advice from eminent scientists and doctors, only to allow self-serving employers make the actual decisions about who can work from home? If it was possible to work from home last year then it is possible this year. If your job wasn't essential then, it isn't essential now. If you are made to go in your employer should be fined very heavily for breaking the law. Too many decisions are being left in the hands of those least qualified to make them. We need a stronger government.

Yes. If employers were made legally liable and open to prosecution if their employees caught Covid from a workplace when they could feasibly work from home, we might find the case numbers dropping much more quickly.

We still have people going in to our office because they don’t like working from home

I don't have a problem with that - our office is also open for "hardship cases". There are probably 5-10 people in an office housing around 300. What I have a problem with is the employers who claim that people are not working at home and force them to come in, even though they can work effectively from home. If they are not working, deal with it as a disciplinary matter, not punishing all the ones who do work.

Because people have to earn a living. We canning conceivably pay almost the entire nation a wage for an extended period of time out of a limitless pot. If we do it will be our children that are paying for it in the future. Our children that won’t have access to decent healthcare or a decent education so that we can pay of the debts of this year.