Is anyone actually going to follow the rules from spring?

[Cloudsurfing]

It will have been a year since being allowed to properly see friends and family. Even in summer last year you still had to social distance so seeing family was difficult, and some areas had tighter restrictions throughout. Everyone I know is going to see family and friends from spring, regardless of what restrictions there are. I am too. The government do know that most people won’t stick to it from then, right?

Is anyone on here actually going to not see family at that point? I know Mumsnet seems to be full of people who are happy to isolate for years if need be, but are you actually going to?

Not saying these risks are unavoidable, but unless you've been fully shielding indoors in a detached property and haven't left it since March last year then there are daily multiple risk factors even if you're being as safe as possible

Every year is precious.

Exactly. You’re not getting this time back.

User1467048527 I agree with every word

@user1467048527

Yes, I will continue to follow rules for now. I think the price paid is worth the reward it seems we’ll get. For now. But at some point, and even if things don’t massively improve as we hope, this has to end as it is not reasonable to expect a population to live half-lives for years. What is reasonable to put up with for a brief period as an emergency measure may not be reasonable for a year. What is reasonable to put up with in the face of a virus like Ebola may not be reasonable for COVID.

There seems to be no perspective from some posters.

If you agree that keeping people from living a normal life cannot be sustained indefinitely and over years, then it becomes a question of when, not if, those restrictions are lifted.

That’s why mocking people who say enough is enough by saying the virus is still out their regardless of how happy they are about it is ridiculous. Quite clearly enough must be enough at some point. Yes, even if there are still deaths and grieving.

Also agree that minimising how people feel in lockdown is actually very cruel.

This is bang on. I will still follow the rules come Spring but not forever.

Hopefully if we come out of this lockdown properly the restrictions will substantially ease for good.

@user1467048527 excellent post, I agree with every word.

Well yeah - if they're letting people into their home who don't live there, or if people they live with are breaking rules, or are in a high-risk job. They're catching it from people, not the four walls around them!

What makes you say that people who catch it at home are getting it from people who shouldn't be there? In the large majority of cases, people who catch it at home will be getting it from other family members.

I feel I need to point out yet again that in Wuhan/China (the only place that had a bad outbreak and then managed to massively suppress/nearly eliminate the virus), it was centralized quarantine that did the heavy lifting, more than lockdown. The Wuhan authorities looked at the data, realized that most of the infection was caused by the virus swirling around people's dwellings with family members infecting each other at home, and started quarantining infected people in hotels.

I've discussed this point on Mumsnet a couple of times, and it's been fairly clear that there is very very little support for centralized quarantine in the UK.

If that's the case, then I will tell you right now that no amount of lockdown, "being strict" and "following the rules" is going to suppress this virus to really low levels, let alone eliminate it. You need centralized quarantine as well as lockdown if you are actually going to be serious about suppressing the virus.

If centralized quarantine is not politically possible for the UK, then the best situation for the UK right now is to concentrate on pumping the vaccine out REALLY fast, keep borders tight to avoid any new variants being brought in, try to beat down viral loads as hard as possible (can't quite understand why there is so little emphasis on ventilation in the UK....), and accept that there are going to be quite a lot of deaths among the elderly.

That's grim but I can't really think of any alternative. The UK can't really afford to do lockdown much longer, and lockdown alone (without centralized quarantine) is never going to suppress the virus, just lower the levels a bit.

I'm in my second trimester, and as that progresses I'm feeling more cautious, not less. Once DD returns to school we'll probably keep a close eye on case rates in our area and be quite cautious about what we do because I don't want to introduce any extra risk when I'm pregnant. Our families all live several hours away, so it's not like we could just pop round for Sunday lunch.

@user1467048527 very well put, far better than I did. Clear and rational.

I feel it is a question of what is actually a proportionate response and that will change as time goes on.

Kokeshi123 I so agree with this If centralized quarantine is not politically possible for the UK, then the best situation for the UK right now is to concentrate on pumping the vaccine out REALLY fast, keep borders tight to avoid any new variants being brought in, try to beat down viral loads as hard as possible (can't quite understand why there is so little emphasis on ventilation in the UK....), and accept that there are going to be quite a lot of deaths among the elderly

I was at the GP months ago, in the waiting room. All chairs bar two were taped off, place was stifling hot, not a window open. I told receptionist I'd wait outside until called for air as I felt the ventilation issue was being ignored. It's common sense, or should be. Sick people head to the GP, open the bloody windows!

You could argue that people who want lockdown for "as long as it takes" are also selfish. There are people putting themselves at risk to work to enable lockdown every day that this goes on.

Almost everyone I know is seeing friends and family indoors.

Yes. Waiting for my parents to have their 2nd vaccines, and then the 10 days or whatever it is after that.

And watching the new variants closely. Worried.

@Jourdain11

You could argue that people who want lockdown for "as long as it takes" are also selfish. There are people putting themselves at risk to work to enable lockdown every day that this goes on.

Almost everyone I know is seeing friends and family indoors.

Are you in an area with high or low cases?

Although it’s changeable atm

Yes! Goodness knows this whole thing is not convenient for anybody OP-But surely you can understand why we all have to? We are nowhere close to being through this yet.... things will never be quite the normal we knew before, but if people hold on and don't breach we will certainly have a better chance!?

I’m finding it hard like most but what I really want is semblance of activity to return not just see people on the side. It’s still lacking in too many ways.

Hopefully Feb 22 will bring about a decent plan to get us out of this. Even if slowly.

The spring when things to start to warm up and hopefully numbers are lower will be the time I start invite close friends and family to my home.

Lost too many loved ones without saying goodbye to them and are very close to loosing 2 more that I haven’t seen for a year.

How can you pick a random date and say you're going to stop following the rules then?! Hopefully things will be a lot better in the spring, but what if there's a rapidly spreading new variant that needs adapted vaccines? Would you go ahead and stop following the rules because you had already said you would?! This is really hard and we all want things to change but surely we need to respond to what is actually happening rather than setting our own arbitrary deadlines.

@Daisysflowers that was a response to the original post, not yours. I'm so sorry that you have lost loved ones.

Yes, we will continue to follow the rules for how ever long this continues.
We are no where near out of this yet, it may even be to early to lift restrictions, therefore we could end up back in lockdown.
Its ridiculous the amount of people willing to risk other people's lives.

We'll never get out of this mess if people won't stick to them

In which case it may be even more important to consider a plan B ... because some will never stick to the rules. many more are losing all patience with them, and there's little enforcement for any of this

It's obviously great if the vaccines make enough difference, but with doubts cropping up around variants - and variants always happenening anyway - the time may come when we smply have no choice but to get on with it and accept that, sadly, there'll be more deaths

No, I certainly won't be following the guidelines to the book. I don't think many people I have observed are following the guidelines currently anyway and if I am honest, I haven't judged one bit as you never know what an individual is going through! (Unfortunately mental health didn't disappear when COVID reared it's ugly head).

Plus, with now what is becoming apparent with regards to mutations, I don't think they will ever really be on top of the virus as it will always be one step ahead of us, regardless of what rules are implemented, vaccines etc. I think there will be mass riots and lots of anger from the general population if these draconian rules are kept in place passed March!

I'm fed up with all the restrictions but I'll follow the rules as I'm an obedient type. If I then get the virus at least I can say that I've done my best, rather than feel that I'm to blame for my own misfortune.

Nope. You're assuming that the people saying we need to obey the rules are having an easier time of it

Inevitably the people who say they are able to push on with it are having an easier time than the people who are at breaking point.

The individual's threshold of what is tolerable might differ - I might be les resilient than you - but that doesn't change the fact that you are able to continue, and I am at breaking point.

Hopefully things will be a lot better in the spring, but what if there's a rapidly spreading new variant that needs adapted vaccines?

Viruses are constantly mutating. It's what they do. Keeping restrictions on a 'what if' basis is a recipe for indefinite lockdown.

Yes. I won’t put people’s health at risk and contribute to this situation going on even longer than it needs to.