Household gatherings

[daffodil10]

As we trail towards the next deadline, truthfully are people sticking absolutely to the no household mixing etc? Or are people sneaking round to each other's for meals etc

I am sticking to it but only because my husband keeps me on the straight and narrow which is obviously the right thing to do. Just wondered?

I also am not personally worried about the risk of covid on my immediate family, having to isolate would be horrible but we’d survive.

I would just feel so stupid if we broke the rules and then we got it, or there was an outbreak at work, or one of the school bubbles burst!

The less interaction we have the less chance of it spreading seems logical to me.

We haven't had visitors in a social way as such but we have had people inside the house. My dad came to drop something off and was desperate for a wee so used the toilet. We had a leak so BIL came in to help fix it. On DS's birthday it hammered it down when MIL came to drop his presents off so she stood inside the porch for a couple of minutes. All wore masks, all stayed distanced, I cleaned things they'd touched.

@ThursdayLastWeek

Well, I’m not sure it has been sufficient HereComesATractor.

I guess I just find this thread full of people carrying on totally as normal disheartening in the face of what I consider a sacrifice, especially that of my children’s education.

I can only conclude that I found comfort in the idea of us 'all pulling together' to be so disappointed to find that that’s not really the case.

The weather has been shit, you’re right. I’ve been wearing waterproofs!

Come on though, it's a bit crap going for a walk with someone when the weather is miserable and you can barely hear what the other person is saying to you over the rain, wind and hood over your ears.

And, like @EileenGC wrote, the risk will still be there whether its legal or not. If you are not bothered about catching covid, not socialising with anyone who has a higher risk from covid and don't actually ever come into close contact with someone who is in any way vulnerable to covid (this is my situation) then you don't really see much risk.

But why are people seeing friends/family indoors? We all know that’s where the risk is

Yes that’s what I don’t understand.

We have all been stuck indoors for so long which we know is no good for our mental health so why are people not wanting to meet outside anyway.

I’m shocked how many people are saying that seeing someone else isn’t going to spread it - of course it is, if you were on a desert island you wouldn’t get it because it’s transmitted person to person. If you are just seeing one household then there’s low risk but many people on this thread have admitted seeing more than one household and then those households will see other households etc so of course the risk gets higher.

I do think people should be able to meet freely outdoors (distancing of course) but I agree with having restrictions indoors until most people have had their vaccinations and then slowly re-open things.

No need for waterproofs sarcasm - I’ve been entertaining a preschooler and a baby throughout the winter, I know how to get us all out of the house in fucking waterproofs, wellies, fake enthusiasm over and over for jumping in puddles, keep the baby warm and dry and the toddler entertained. I am really fortunate that having had a baby this year, I’m able to have a family member in my house as part of a support bubble without breaking any rules. But outdoors only would not have been sufficient for my circumstances, no.

I can only conclude that I found comfort in the idea of us 'all pulling together' to be so disappointed to find that that’s not really the case.

Is this really the first time you've found this not to be the case. Many of us have been aware that the 'all in this together' attitude has been bullshit for a long time.

Those who have been furloughed because our work was made illegal to protect the nhs who then have people calling us lazy and freeloaders and demanding we shoulder the tax bill for this

Those people who have been told how lovely lockdown and family time has been from people in big houses with gardens and their families surrounding them with no regard for the fact that others are shut up in tiny flats with no outside space and barely even indoor space

Those for whom massive cultural and religious festivals were cancelled with hours notice whilst the government said it would be inhuman to cancel Christmas with no regard for the fact this is a multicultural country

Those people who have lost their jobs and been left in financial destitute, losing their houses and everything they've ever worked, whilst other people who haven't lost anything have said 'well that's just the price' like they have any idea

Those who work in the jobs which they can't stay home from which facilitate other people staying home (delivery drivers ect) and were then chastised for failing to stay home by the very people who demanded the services which these people provided in the first place

There's so many more examples

If you were still under the impression that everyone has been pulling together all this time I'd say you've been in a very privileged position through this lockdown

Completely agree with @riddles26

Not read the full thread but on the first few replies suggesting people were doing indoor meet ups at the moment ; I just find it strange how different this thread is to the other one on active at the moment where the majority of posters have not broken one rule since last March .

I was happy to meet , within the 6 people rule last summer when cases were really low , but no, apart from brief chats on the drive I haven't seen anyone outside my household since Christmas.

We arent but IM CEV and pre covid my lung consultant had me do what's a low level form of shielding, it just wasn't called that. So my shopping had been online for a few years now, I don't go to large gathering and we are used to having plans scuppered due to my health.

Dhs family have mixed in each other's houses daily and throughout the whole and were angry when we didn't but after one his daughters friends caught and almost died from it he's more respectful and realised that because I look ok it doesn't mean his "just a cold" wouldn't be something more for me.

I've friends who think because I had my first jab I can now go to their houses and socialise with them when that's not what I was told when I had my jab, and isn't what anyone who is involved my medically has said, I was told it's important to keep shielding until after my second jab in May, so part of me does worry when I see people taking risks and saying all the at risk have been vaccinated when that's not quite true, many many CEV people have not had their second jab and won't for a couple of month yet, but the other part of me understand why people are having a cuppa or take away inside peoples homes.

So I'm keeping myself out of the way for a while yet.

We are still sticking totally to the no household mixing at present.

Those who have been furloughed because our work was made illegal to protect the nhs who then have people calling us lazy and freeloaders and demanding we shoulder the tax bill for this

Oh god yes this! I feel like I just want to shout from the rooftops "I WANT TO WORK BUT I'M NOT ALLOWED!"

And pretty much all of @boredbuttercups post is spot on for how I feel.

@boredbuttercup

I can only conclude that I found comfort in the idea of us 'all pulling together' to be so disappointed to find that that’s not really the case.

Is this really the first time you've found this not to be the case. Many of us have been aware that the 'all in this together' attitude has been bullshit for a long time.

Those who have been furloughed because our work was made illegal to protect the nhs who then have people calling us lazy and freeloaders and demanding we shoulder the tax bill for this

Those people who have been told how lovely lockdown and family time has been from people in big houses with gardens and their families surrounding them with no regard for the fact that others are shut up in tiny flats with no outside space and barely even indoor space

Those for whom massive cultural and religious festivals were cancelled with hours notice whilst the government said it would be inhuman to cancel Christmas with no regard for the fact this is a multicultural country

Those people who have lost their jobs and been left in financial destitute, losing their houses and everything they've ever worked, whilst other people who haven't lost anything have said 'well that's just the price' like they have any idea

Those who work in the jobs which they can't stay home from which facilitate other people staying home (delivery drivers ect) and were then chastised for failing to stay home by the very people who demanded the services which these people provided in the first place

There's so many more examples

If you were still under the impression that everyone has been pulling together all this time I'd say you've been in a very privileged position through this lockdown

Very well said

@Buckingafout

ICU nurse. I wouldn't even feel comfortable to go inside anywhere without a mask, now. The risks are too high (thinking of the couple I nursed who had their daughter over for Christmas, they died).

Interesting that nobody has commented on this. Does it make some of you feel uncomfortable? I can’t imagine what someone’s MH is like working in icu.

We just see my parents mainly for childcare reasons. No friends and no other family.

@Wildswimming3
I think it's a matter of perspective. The personal sense of threat that staff working in ICU have is higher than the general population. I have great sympathy for the poster, but being exposed to this environment will skew their personal risk assessment. I suspect people aren't commenting on it directly, as it would be in poor taste.

We're not having indoor meetups and naively thought most people were doing the same!

Doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable as given the size of the second wave masks, or at least the ones most people wear, do Jack shit. As for Christmas, people knew the risks.

@Wildswimming3 Why would it make me feel uncomfortable ? I'm far more concerned about MH than the virus.

Want more lockdown? Keep getting tested. Even better, get your kids tested👍🙄🙄

Sad but true.

Well, since Wednesday I have been in my small room with approx 25 different teenagers for 1 hr at a time, up to 5 times a day (225 different children) and next week I’ll be doing the same so yes, I’m well and truly mixing with others indoors.
Plenty of non-mask wearers but I’m testing twice a week and so are they. I also have my first vaccine next week (tier 6).
TBH, I am going to start seeing more of my extended family over Easter.

@riddles26

The nightmare we are in is 100% the fault of those in charge. Underfunding the NHS for the past 10+ years, abolishing testing early on in the first wave so we had no idea where and how this disease was spreading, total failure of test and trace, locking down too late repeatedly because they wanted to save the economy, underfunding schools so there is not adequate space or ventilation, the list goes on and on... They couldn't have made a bigger mess if they had tried. And the mental health fallout that is coming over the next 10 years is going to pale the past 12 months into insignificance.

It makes total sense to have banned mass gatherings, nightclubs, big weddings etc but one friend meeting another is NOT the reason are are in this mess. They have discovered how the majority of the cases were contracted and spread in hospitals in the first wave - this is because our big multi-bed wards are not designed to contain infection, particularly when they've stopped the testing so we don't even know who has it!

Everyone attacking each other for minor breaches is achieving nothing. We all have an different view, different tolerance and different assessment of risk. We should be questioning why we as a country are in such an awful position after one of the toughest lockdowns

riddles26

Yes 👍🏻

In laws are coming round tomorrow for a cuppa and a catch up. My husband is desperate to see them, and although I'm not happy about it I can tell he needs it, so i've let it slide.

Wildswimming3

My concern is for the daughter, who will now be expected to grieve both her parents alone, with no hugs from family or friends and probably be told "well there's always Zoom", by somebody with no understanding of what it's like to lose both parents in a short space of time in the middle of a bloody pandemic.

We've totally stuck to it. I see one friend a week for an outside walk. My DH is shielding and hasn't seen anyone. He is going to his mum's on Monday for lunch. So that will be the first rule break.