Refusing to go out until zero covid

[IrmaFayLear]

Bil and sil have not been out since March 2020. They wfh, in 50s with no health conditions at all. They have both been fully vaccinated - two doses (sil’s best friend is a GP ). Dh was speaking to bil yesterday and he said it’s not safe until cases are zero worldwide, and that because they care so much about each other (!) they have decided that they cannot take any risk.

Are there many people like this? I was in the shielding category and although I have been ultra cautious, I have still gone for walks, dashed into the chemist in a hazmat suit etc etc. I wonder if they are extreme outliers or whether there will be more recluses now, feeling fully justified.

[psuedocream3]

I think that's their perogative and it doesn't seem to be hurting anyone so fair enough. It'll likely be an endemic, much like the flu where you get your booster (vaccine) every winter if you have a weak immune system to fight whatever strain of covid is doing the rounds.

[Scottishskifun]

@Roonerspismed

I cannot understand people worried about the effect of covid on healthy young children.

Either I’m mad or they are

I think my concern was because nobody really knew the effects on children and just when I got used to children being low risk of even catching it a new variant popped along which made children more susceptible to catching it.
My DS has still attended nursery when open and plays in a playground.
But I would be lying if I was never concerned about the risk of him getting a virus which scientists and Dr's are still trying to understand.

[Roonerspismed]

Oh I see - you mean in case there is some weird long term consequence of the virus?

Fair enough I guess.

That’s how I feel about the vaccines TBH. We don’t know do they will do something similar long term and I prefer to take my chance longer term with the virus than a vaccine, whilst acknowledging there are quantifiable risks of both short term

[mel71]

Yes, my mother and she wipes everything down with disinfectant that comes into the house. She is also refusing to have the vaccine as she is worried about the longterm side effec..she is 75....To be fair - she has always been a recluse (so any excuse) - and I would argue has undiagnosed mental health conditions - she doesn't trust pyschiatrists or psychologists. Nor vets, doctors or the entire pharmaceutical industry. I should be more concerned, but this is the way she is and she is also as stubborn as a mule. She has partner who is 15 years younger than her (been together 30+ years) I let him deal with it.

[Tiktokersmiracle]

Well they'll never go out ever again then
We won't reach covid zero. It's here now, just like Spanish flu is what we now know as the common cold.
I think this stems from the government. Its more the case we need deaths to be as close to zero as possible for the majority of the time. We need hospital admissions under control
I actually wish they would stop saying case numbers. It's not about that.

[pam290358]

My partner and I have been shielding since march 2020 - both serious underlying health conditions. I have severe reservations about coming out of our own lockdown. I know there will never be zero cases worldwide, just concerned with our own little corner of the world.

I think part of the problem is that the advice from the government isn’t consistent. First we’re told that vaccination is the way out, so we all toddle off to get vaccinated - now, just as we’re taking the first steps out of lockdown and restrictions are being eased, along comes Boris today and says that there will inevitably be a rise in new cases and deaths as a result !! Doesn’t exactly encourage you to take any risks if you are CEV and have spent the last year speaking to people through closed doors !!

@CarrieCat. To be fair, there have been cases where people who have been vaccinated have been seriously ill and died. Admittedly not many, but the risk is still there.

[Lucyk1]

Don't they realise that no virus goes away, that's why we take a vaccine for things. If we stopped giving vaccines for measles etc then there would be an outbreak of this too.

[Belladonna12]

@Lucyk1

Don't they realise that no virus goes away, that's why we take a vaccine for things. If we stopped giving vaccines for measles etc then there would be an outbreak of this too.

Small pox went away. We've nearly eradicated polio . We probably can't eradicate Covid because it also infects animals. However, if herd immunity is achieved through vaccination of nearly everyone in the world, it will no longer be a threat.

[Tooshyshyhushhushioi]

It took the WHO from 1959 to 1977 to eradicate Smallpox, do they realise that they are in for a very long haul ??

[Belladonna12]

@Tooshyshyhushhushioi

It took the WHO from 1959 to 1977 to eradicate Smallpox, do they realise that they are in for a very long haul ??

We are a bit better at producing vaccines now than we were in 1959, don't you think? We may have herd immunity in the year or so, depending on how quickly they can vaccinate against the variants. It may also become less severe.

[wasthataburp]

Fruit loops

[TrixieMixie]

They are never going out again. Similar to a male friend of mine who won't let his kids go back to school because allegedly 2 school bus drivers died of Covid in the past month (he heard this from neighbours). he and his wife have both been vaccinated. He will not let the kids go back until they have been vaccinated, doesn't care they are missing lessons etc. People need a sense of proportion

[Bertiebiscuit]

Some of us never liked crowds, pubs etc anyway, don't mind wearing a mask, always used hand gel when out and don't appreciate people coming close, especially men - so yes, some of us will probably carry on as we are, with a few minor alterations - I'm so happy I haven't had a cold for over a year now so that's good for example

[Belladonna12]

@TrixieMixie

They are never going out again. Similar to a male friend of mine who won't let his kids go back to school because allegedly 2 school bus drivers died of Covid in the past month (he heard this from neighbours). he and his wife have both been vaccinated. He will not let the kids go back until they have been vaccinated, doesn't care they are missing lessons etc. People need a sense of proportion

It's not similar if they don't have children. If you can work at home, don't have children, and don't really like going out anyway it would be easy to stay at home at the moment. They don't have to do it forever. They can always change their minds if they decide the benefit for them outweighs the risk.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

@TrixieMixie

They are never going out again. Similar to a male friend of mine who won't let his kids go back to school because allegedly 2 school bus drivers died of Covid in the past month (he heard this from neighbours). he and his wife have both been vaccinated. He will not let the kids go back until they have been vaccinated, doesn't care they are missing lessons etc. People need a sense of proportion

Those poor kids I remember the days when that would have been cause for involvement from SS and mental health services.

[Bleachmycloths]

I suspect that some people are using Covid to enable them to do exactly what they want. It’s a great excuse to avoid people you don’t want to see anyway; to avoid PITA relatives, to cut yourself off and cocoon yourself.
I know a couple of people like this. They’ve never been happier but don’t admit it.
Irritating actually, as they’re so up their own backsides imo when so many people are suffer terribly with job losses etc.

[Bleachmycloths]

...are suffering...

[QueenPaw]

I sort of get it if you've been shielding. I'm still worried despite having my vaccine because I don't know if it's effective on me or not. Even my consultant can't say yet whether it's 10% effective on people with my condition or 90%
Add that to the being told to stay home with letters and food boxes and do not go out, it's very dangerous for you. Now things are opening back up and it's suddenly absolutely fine..
I haven't been going for walks due to medical reasons so yes, I've pretty much been inside/in the garden. Been to a shop a few times now and that's about it

[Nohomemadecandles]

If they've no kids I suppose they aren't really harming anyone else. But I do think if they want you to respect their (batshit) opinion then they ought to respect your opinion in return.

Although, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to empathise with people who are catastrophing everything but still complaining how miserable it is inside.

[Di11y]

My parents are a bit like this, only go for walks early in the morning before most people are about and mutter others aren't wearing masks outside.

We travelled 5 hours to stay near them with the kids in the summer hoping they'd visit the beach but we only saw them in the garden (socially distanced).

It's disappointing but their choice. Don't let them guilt trip you.

[anon666]

I think it's about fear. Once you've successfully persuaded yourself that the risk of covid is sufficiently large to justify not going out, it's a very hard barrier to shift.

I've noticed this with family and friends who have either had covid or the vaccine. Even though their risk of personal infection/reinfection is very low, they haven't returned to normal at all. They are still acting as if nothing has changed.

I think some people are able to adapt more quickly to change than others.

I'm a quick mind changer. I can see both sides of an argument, I can change my mind from one conviction to the other. It's not necessarily a good quality. I notice that other people stick to their convictions a lot more rather than oscillate.

It makes sense to me that behaviour change will be slower for some people than others. But they will change eventually, I would guess. Its just that the actual risk to them and the level of risk they "feel" aren't the same.

[CruCru]

The thread has moved on a bit but, although the BIL and SIL in the OP may not be harming others, some of these other people probably are.

Things like yelling at strangers for walking around outside without masks or getting shirty about a next door neighbour for having relatives in their garden have the potential to become a form of harassment.

[Bythemillpond]

I think that in a couple or a family Covid can be used as an excuse to coerce and bully and cut others off from their support network

Of all the people saying they aren’t going out till it is all over I bet there are a good percentage who have partners or family who just want to go out.

[hodgebit]

We are a bit better at producing vaccines now than we were in 1959, don't you think? We may have herd immunity in the year or so, depending on how quickly they can vaccinate against the variants. It may also become less severe.

Nonetheless, I'd be very surprised if the vaccine eradicated Covid-19 completely, given its propensity to mutate.

[Tooshyshyhushhushioi]

We are a bit better at producing vaccines now than we were in 1959, don't you think? We may have herd immunity in the year or so, depending on how quickly they can vaccinate against the variants. It may also become less severe.

My point here is that to eradicate a disease takes a lot more than the development of a vaccine. That vaccine has to be given to almost all the world population and that is the difficult part. Easier in first world countries but you still get those that choose not to have it. Far more difficult in third world, impoverished, war torn countries. Then layer on the fact that this virus is mutating daily and there will be multiple vaccines required to deal with the variants.

There have only ever been 2 diseases that have been fully eradicated. If they are waiting for this then yes it’s going to take a hell of a long time.