Social distancing to last all year

[Santastealer]

The media this morning are reporting on a report given to government saying social distancing will need to be in place all year and rules remain until December.

But what then? What do they expect to be different by September?

Last August I was able to go on holiday with my family as a group of 8, are thy suggesting this year this won’t be possible? If not why was it ok last year when we didn’t have vaccines but this year it’s not ok when we do?

I’m thoroughly fed up of not being able to see my family and I need to feel an end point is in sight.

"Last April I was screamed at by 99% of people on a big thread because I said I was going for a solo dog walk in the morning and a solo bike ride in the afternoon. I explained I live rurally, wasn’t seeing anyone. And apart from those 2 things wasn’t leaving the house."

We didn't have the info of the low risk of transmission outside at the time. And there had been advice to only go out once a day.

Those who can't get along without group hugging and parties and recreation are selfish weaklings putting the rest of us at risk and prolonging the pandemic ... Anyone on record as declining the vaccine should be denied Covid-related medical treatment and public assistance. They chose it

Just out of interest, would you stand in front of those at the Stamford Hill wedding and say the same? Or to those attenting Eid and Diwali celebrations? Or at our local party held by the black community and attended by hundreds? Or to the traveller community, whose lifestyle choices can hinder access to healthcare?

If so then massive respect to you ... but I've got an uncomfortable feeling you'd be in a minority

@Gwenhwyfar

"Last April I was screamed at by 99% of people on a big thread because I said I was going for a solo dog walk in the morning and a solo bike ride in the afternoon. I explained I live rurally, wasn’t seeing anyone. And apart from those 2 things wasn’t leaving the house."

We didn't have the info of the low risk of transmission outside at the time. And there had been advice to only go out once a day.

Anyone with half a brain cell could see if I wasn’t passing anyone in a mile radius I wasn’t going to pass it or catch it. But no, that didn’t matter. I was told there could be no exceptions at all and the rules were the rules and must be stuck to even if they didn’t make sense.

Now anyone who suggests they’re sticking to the rules is called a miserable lockdown cunt. 🤷‍♀️

There’s still advice/law to only go out once a day. I still go out twice a day. Still haven’t caught covid (that I know of).

@Covidcorvid that's what a year of restrictions does to people. Resilience isnt limitless.

People have not said that they are going to see their mum this weekend, what they’ve said is that they are expecting a change when all the vulnerable people are vaccinated. Not quite the same!

@BungleandGeorge

People have not said that they are going to see their mum this weekend, what they’ve said is that they are expecting a change when all the vulnerable people are vaccinated. Not quite the same!

Somebody has.

@GabsAlot

missing the point

when we were allowed on holiday with 8 people?

You were allowed to stay overnight with one other household, there wasn’t a limit on number as long as only two households. I Think it was 7/8 limit for meeting people outdoors.

@swimlyn

The end point is in sight.

It’s about eighteen months away. I guess.

It still won’t be 100% safe then, but good progress will have been made such as getting rid of Boris and the posh boys.

The world will never be the same though.

Life isn't safe, it never was before covid, there have always been risks that we have had to live with an covid will be something else we live alongside.

You do realise it's unlikely we'll have had a general election in the next 18 months?

@Puzzledandpissedoff

Those who can't get along without group hugging and parties and recreation are selfish weaklings putting the rest of us at risk and prolonging the pandemic ... Anyone on record as declining the vaccine should be denied Covid-related medical treatment and public assistance. They chose it

Just out of interest, would you stand in front of those at the Stamford Hill wedding and say the same? Or to those attenting Eid and Diwali celebrations? Or at our local party held by the black community and attended by hundreds? Or to the traveller community, whose lifestyle choices can hinder access to healthcare?

If so then massive respect to you ... but I've got an uncomfortable feeling you'd be in a minority

Yes.

A yoga mat. A fucking yoga mat. That sums it up really doesn't it. So what if its illegal to hug your mum, you've got a fucking yoga mat.

@LucilleTheVampireBat

This was my favorite response! The people who are willfully failing to hear people saying they're struggling just because they are financially, physically and emotionally OK are a big part of the problem in actually full consideration of both the costs and benefits of lockdown IMHO. It seems to hard sometimes for people to see the world outside of their own butterfly and wild flower filled garden. I wonder whether education can contribute to people being able to develop some empathy for others going forwards?

[quote AnxiousAlpaca]@PerveenMistry Spoken from a massive place of privilege.[/quote]
Not sure I agree. If you have no family or friends to miss hugging, no birthday parties or weddings or anniversary parties you would have attended, no sporting events / music gigs / theatre shows / art exhibitions etc you'd like to see, no restaurants you miss eating out in, no holidays you'd love to go on are you really that privileged?

You might have money in the bank but sitting at home watching tv isn't a life. It's existence at best.

People need to stop thinking that vaccines are a solve all.

Common sense says even when everyone is vaccinated (which I can't see happening for another 6 months or so) restrictions will be eased slowly and data watched very carefully.

I don't think living with expectations of foreign holidays happening this year is going to lead to anything but disappointment, in honestly.

Life isn't safe, it never was before covid, there have always been risks that we have had to live with an covid will be something else we live alongside

The truth in one sentence

Funny isn’t it how people change....the majority view changes

Isn't it just? And now we have suggestions that vaccine refusers should be barred from premises, events and what have you
Given the sectors where refusal's said to be highest the view will change again if that happens ... they won't have been refused because they're "selfish twats" any more, but purely because they're from (insert disadvantaged group)

@ktp100 for some of us our family live abroad. The thought of another year of not seeing them is torture. It's enough to break anyone. 'Disappointment' doesnt really cover it unfortunately.

We will be able to travel abroad this summer no doubt about it as Boris is hosting the EU summit thing in cornwall in June and there is no way that will happen if people aren’t allowed out of or into the country. Social distancing was still a requirement last summer OP so the recommendation will still be there this year however people will choose to ignore it once the vulnerable have been vaccinated and as they have said several times once we come out of this lockdown and vaccines have been given measures will be down to personal responsibility and not government regulations. The doom mongers are taking the article to mean something it doesn’t I think summer will be relatively normal.

Ffs let’s not start speculating on what may or may not happen this year, let’s get through the next few months and see. No one can predicted what will be in place by September

@Gwenhwyfar

"I don't mean to pry, but do you have heath anxiety? Doing things like swimming is seen by most people as a normal, healthy activity."

No, but I've seen studies showing that being cold and wet (I am always cold going into and coming out of a pool and going outside afterwards) makes you vulnerable to colds and I've always seen pools (the buildings, not just the actual water) as places where you catch a cold.
I'd rather pubs open than pools. I go on public transport, go to busy shops, etc. and am no more anxious about Covid than the average person.

Well, I'm absolutely boiling hot when I come out of the pool, as I swim quite fast. And I've been unable to do my sport competitively for a year now, as sport is now something for the elite only.

Whereas alcohol lowers your immune system and being around strangers in a pub is a much more obvious risk than a disinfected, chlorinated swimming pool.

Please don't suggest swimming outdoors. Even with a wetsuit, my fat level is too low to cope in winter

This is crazy, muddled up thinking. Unfortunately, current government policy does seem to encourage this sort of anti-exercise, unhealthy attitude. It really is a race to the bottom.

As they have said several times once we come out of this lockdown and vaccines have been given measures will be down to personal responsibility and not government regulations

We can only hope they mean it, though the fly in that particular ointment is whether the vaccines turn out to be effective enough
Profuse apologies for the DM link, but I was sent this earlier: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9203279/Government-estimates-220-000-true-death-toll-pandemic.html
Having reportedly come from the government, this suggests to me something of a backtrack, as in "this can't go on so we need to find something to justify ending a lot of restrictions"

@GabsAlot

missing the point

when we were allowed on holiday with 8 people?

Pretty certain never.

It’s never been allowed to have more than 6 meet for food in a cafe/restaurant so can’t imagine 8 people would have been allowed to stay overnight in the same house.

I know I had a weekend booked with friends for Oct and we weren’t able to go away and I can remember saying all through the summer that I didn’t think the rules would change to allow us to go. 🤷‍♀️

Our neighbour late 80s had another fall at home, children live away but neighbour is on the panic button, so neighbour goes around she physically could not lift her, so phoned another neighbour another mature lady between the two of them they got her upright onto the commode undressed and into bed. So three separate households were involved on Friday night, no social distancing just a wish to protect a vulnerable woman. This is not the first time, how many other people are doing this around the country for the elderly who really are now terrified of any carers coming around and possibly infecting them.

To be honest, holidaying in the UK would be a good thing, massively beneficial to the UK economy. Which with Brexit would be really really helpful. It's just really shitty for people who have family abroad.

I know....not at all the point of the thread 😂

@Chloemol

Ffs let’s not start speculating on what may or may not happen this year, let’s get through the next few months and see. No one can predicted what will be in place by September

Exactly. Month by month is the way forward, no point stressing about things that may never happen. Pointless.

" I can't see parties of eight being allowed unless it is one big family who live together"

Or a load of overpaid footballers who are exempt from all restrictions it seems