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?

I have a 23 year old cousin who was like you people. One precarious hospital stay later, she's sorry she put her aunt in hospital as she battles with long covid and an emerging depression.

Do what you want, just don't act sorry if you're unlucky.

No I will not be. But there are clearly people on this thread who would follow long term social distancing policies and would refrain from seeing their family and friends for years if the government told them to do so- all under the guise of ‘staying safe’ and ‘stopping the spread’

Well, given that the virus will be mutating till kingdom come, I don’t think it’s realistic that we’ll ever get on top of it, rules or no rules. It’s also not realistic to keep people apart socially for much longer. How are young people supposed to meet people if this rule of six or not going inside people’s houses continues for another couple of years (which it could well do if the Gov follows some of the Sage advice)? I’ve kept to “the rules” so far, but if this carries on beyond summer, then I will re-think that.

@BottegaBish it wasn’t needed and you should be ashamed of yourself. Your parents may not be high risk but other peoples are. How dare you risk peoples lives. I imagine you are trolling because few people are that evil.

This has gone on too long now. It's inhumane to keep families apart in this way. Once the vulnerable and elderly have been vaccinated there is no excuse to keep us prisoners in our own home. If the goalposts move at that point, we need to say "no".

It's good to see most people are saying they will choose for themselves and they will see friends and family.

I was quite cautious last summer and only really saw my local friends during rule of 6. We're in London and have good friends and family on the other side. I'll definitely make the best of the weather to see them outdoors this time round.

@Bluemooninmyeyes1

No I will not be. But there are clearly people on this thread who would follow long term social distancing policies and would refrain from seeing their family and friends for years if the government told them to do so- all under the guise of ‘staying safe’ and ‘stopping the spread’

Bullshit.

Im able to see and assess progress of the pandemic fine thanks.

We are where we should be and where i expected we would be, from even back in March last year.

What i found astonishing is that people didn't think we would have a massive issue over January / February and be in this position.

Im pretty darn optimistic tbh about the state of play.

We just need patience but we live in a society which has been conditioned to want instant feedback and results.

Thats not how the world works.

We will get there. I'd rather we got there quicker by people getting their heads around how this works rather spouting stuff bordering on conspiracy nonsense.

My problem is with people who want to jump the gun before most of the adult population is even offered a vaccine.

I don't see this going on for years. But I do think yearly covid vaccines will become a thing. There is an end in sight if people want to see it.

I'm glad you're so positive RTB.

I trust your opinion.

I live in an area with a mere 10 cases in the last week, incredibly low throughout so not needed to follow all the rules. I haven't killed anyone so frothing can calm down. You have to actually have covid to pass it on. I have had regular negative tests and so visit parents, family and partner. Naturally, if I lived in an area where covud is rampant then I wouldn't but I don't .

@Chessie678 I agree I don’t think the majority of people realise that not many other countries have criminalized seeing family and friends and many who tried to were told that dictating what people do in their own homes was illegal and any restrictions to that nature were taken away. People are so blindsided by lockdown they don’t see past it, it fills me with horror that for some areas of the UK it has been illegal to see family indoors for nearly a year yet we still blindly accept it and “follow the science” for “as long as it takes”

And OP no I refuse to follow the rules after March I’m here to live not just exist. It’s not selfish to want my life back And for the economy to open up again and I’m not personally responsible for the NHS or for the entire vulnerable population of the UK done my bit for a year but that’s enough now. We are never getting this time back.

The rule of six can fuck off. So many rules damaging to the developing social needs of children. Ridiculous that in the autumn it was technically less illegal to leave a couple of surplus children at home than to have two families meeting for a walk.

I follow rules that do more good than harm.
I haven't seen any family since September, and I'm not risking an 82yo with hypothermia when I finally get to see my mum again. Covid or not, she's not immortal.

I've long since had enough of this vacuous existence and living like a sick person stuck in the house. It was bad enough when I was genuinely stuck in the house for months with poor mobility some years ago.

I've mainly seen people outside even when indoors was permitted, except when the conditions were too poor for healthy wellbeing.
I see the sense in avoiding multi-household gatherings.
But as someone whose life structure/ routines ended on 20th March 2020 and whose social highlight of the week is the food shopping late at night when it's near empty, and has no right to bubbles, a couple of extra children or seeing my mum every few months makes fuck-all difference to the development of the pandemic.

I need to live. This is intolerable.

Erm, yes. My dad is vulnerable and I don’t want him to die early just so I can see him in the short term

I’ll follow until my parents and I are vaccinated. After then, much less.

Yes. How can some people still not understand it will continue spreading due to people continually breaking the rules.
I'm a contact advisor, so I call people who have been in contact with a positive case and tell them they have to isolate for 10 days. The amount of people I've had speak to me like shit is unbelievable! It's their own fault they have to isolate as most of the time they have broken the rules, then they get shitty with me for doing my job! I've only been doing it for 2 months and am already looking for another job. It's soul destroying.

@Dustyboots

I'm glad you're so positive RTB.

I trust your opinion.

Honestly we are at the 'hold steady' point. Just need to be patient just a little longer.

Frankly we have got this far, i dont see the point in 'blowing' the effort put in.

Life is dull and every day is groundhog day. But look up and look around at nature. Things are moving forward day by day. Even the weather is doing its February thing. Things are starting to grow again.

Its about taking a deep breathe and noticing these things slowly change to keep yourself sane and realise that time is passing and soon the spring will be here.

Some of the mentality and heads going down on MN over the past couple of weeks has been counterproductive and really has been contagious.

Listen to the tone of the scientists. Its very cautious and measured but its positive. Thats the first time in a long time we've seen it and we haven't seen it to this extent.

They dont want to overpromise. And there are concerns still about.

But the vaccines are all performing better than hoped. I believe flu vaccines are only about 50% effective to put into some context. Take up of the vaccine so far has been high - and likely to be higher than many countries in Europe. This is good. We may have had a huge second wave in this country but we are 2 months ahead of others for vaccinations and the peak. That means we can be on our feet sooner. Our ability to detect mutations is exception. I genuinely think few countries are as good. That does give us the ability to keep an eye on this much better than others and act accordingly. We are leading research into mixing vaccines based on our knowledge of how this is a strategy that works well for other diseases.

Honestly, its chin up time.

Im critical and doubtful by nature. Im cautious. But right now im leaning towards cautiously optimistic. The scientific markers look good.

We have to go through this process to get to the other side. Life will be different but we will move past this.

Are people genuinely believing all this guff about the “new strains”? Are we genuinely expected to believe that it’s only now once we have vaccines that there are “new strains” of concern?

I do believe there are new variants but also that they are being over egged to keep us in line.

@BogRollBOGOF

The rule of six can fuck off. So many rules damaging to the developing social needs of children. Ridiculous that in the autumn it was technically less illegal to leave a couple of surplus children at home than to have two families meeting for a walk.

I follow rules that do more good than harm.
I haven't seen any family since September, and I'm not risking an 82yo with hypothermia when I finally get to see my mum again. Covid or not, she's not immortal.

I've long since had enough of this vacuous existence and living like a sick person stuck in the house. It was bad enough when I was genuinely stuck in the house for months with poor mobility some years ago.

I've mainly seen people outside even when indoors was permitted, except when the conditions were too poor for healthy wellbeing.
I see the sense in avoiding multi-household gatherings.
But as someone whose life structure/ routines ended on 20th March 2020 and whose social highlight of the week is the food shopping late at night when it's near empty, and has no right to bubbles, a couple of extra children or seeing my mum every few months makes fuck-all difference to the development of the pandemic.

I need to live. This is intolerable.

We seriously have a problem in this country with perspective...

Good post RTB

No, no and no!!! Would be totally insane to comply after 2 weeks to save Easter, 2 months to save summer, 1 month to save Christmas, a few weeks to flatten the curve, indefinite lockdown to get people vaccinated....

@KriekAndWaffle

Are people genuinely believing all this guff about the “new strains”? Are we genuinely expected to believe that it’s only now once we have vaccines that there are “new strains” of concern?

I do believe there are new variants but also that they are being over egged to keep us in line.

God they are all out tonight.

Yes it will be like flu. We manage flu and the flu vaccination programme pretty well.

Just need to adapt...

@KriekAndWaffle

Are people genuinely believing all this guff about the “new strains”? Are we genuinely expected to believe that it’s only now once we have vaccines that there are “new strains” of concern?

I do believe there are new variants but also that they are being over egged to keep us in line.

I believe it because I've bought into the plandemic, I'm a sheeple.

In all seriousness, who wants to 'keep us in line', for what purpose? What were we doing before that was out of line and had to be stopped?

@RedToothBrush wow, I’m impressed with your crystal ball then because no one else, including the government, seemed to have been able to predict that the virus would mutate, new deadly strains would be found and we would be exactly where we are in this particular moment, so well done for that.

Also, it’s insulting to say that people who haven’t seen their family and friends for nearly are a year are simply just impatient and are seeking ‘instant results’. Even Boris Johnson has recently said that we will have to live with the virus to some extent conceding that this way of life is unsustainable- as disappointing as this may seem to lockdown enthusiasts like you, it can’t continue for much longer.

I don’t disagree RTB but equally I am very cynical of the timing of these “new variants” being put out there, just as people are getting fucked off with all this shite. Believing the “new variants” are a substantial threat involves believing more crap from the government, which given they have lied to us throughout, I am not inclined to do.

[quote Bluemooninmyeyes1]@RedToothBrush wow, I’m impressed with your crystal ball then because no one else, including the government, seemed to have been able to predict that the virus would mutate, new deadly strains would be found and we would be exactly where we are in this particular moment, so well done for that.

Also, it’s insulting to say that people who haven’t seen their family and friends for nearly are a year are simply just impatient and are seeking ‘instant results’. Even Boris Johnson has recently said that we will have to live with the virus to some extent conceding that this way of life is unsustainable- as disappointing as this may seem to lockdown enthusiasts like you, it can’t continue for much longer.[/quote]
Actually if you read stuff from scientists in this field dated march last year they said more of less what has happened.

The government hasn't always listened to this, and thats tended to be where its gone wrong.

I dont have a crystal ball. I do know where and who to read and trust to give a reasonable assessment of how things would pan out.

Go and look it up. Its there to find if you wish.