Are you still sticking to ALL of the rules?

[CallTheSheriff]

Our family has followed all rules to date but with two weeks left until social contact restrictions are lifted I see more and more people using a ‘common sense’ approach for their own risk.

My DC go to school (primary), attend swimming lessons, attend dance classes and indoor football classes but we decline the offer of play dates with other DC in their class.

DH and I have not mixed indoors with any other adult since last March. We both WFH and are both partially vaccinated. We do not attend gyms etc as we didn’t pre covid anyway.

Our friends and family think we are being OTT, especially in not allowing DC to visit others after school but allowing them to attend classes.

It made me wonder how others are doing it?

No. I'm going into houses now. And I hugged my grandfather who I haven't hugged for over a year. He's had both vaccinations and I do twice weekly tests for work.

Most people who I love have been vaccinated now and those that haven't like myself are low risk so I'll go into any of their houses if they are happy for me to. I've done my bit to protect strangers and I want to see my family and friends now.

Normally the ones who preach they've stuck to the rules rigidly and haven't seen any other family members since 1999 tend to live bloody miles away from their families so its likely to be geography that's kept them apart than covid restrictions. I dont know anyone who lives in the same local area who hasn't seen family at all for a year with the exception of maybe a shielding household.
@Topseyt sorry to hear about your DF although your circumstances probably would have been allowed under exceptional or vulnerable circumstances but it does leave a bitter taste to think its only "allowed" to see loved ones if they're at the end of life. I'm glad you got to spend quality time with your family its saddening if you are made to feel guilty or ashamed or feel you need to explain yourself for doing so

No, enough is enough now, this corrupt lying government can swivel?

@Wingingit15

Yes. Sticking with the rules as are everyone I know, and it irks me when I read about people not as I’m not sure why I’m less important

If you want to be a sheep then that's on you.

@Mumbot345635

Ps I would add most of the people confessing to rule breaks on here but in would say are actually rule followers with minor indiscretions! It’s the people who are gleefully meeting indoors I can’t understand. Most of whom likely voted for Boris in the first place who put the rules they are then breaking in place!

Oh shut up, if you voted Tory more fool you!

@Spekoppar

Yes we are, and I’m not aware of any friends or family who aren’t.

I get why people are ‘making their own risk assessments’, the problem is individual risk assessments are very different to public health risk assessments which are far more relevant in a pandemic.

It was downgraded to a Endemic over a year ago hence why no one listens to a manipulative government.

@SakuraEdenSwan1

No, enough is enough now, this corrupt lying government can swivel?

Not heard that expression since school. 😂

Integrity is something that’s important to me, and I don’t respect people who aren’t likewise unless it’s for good reason. If the latter wants to call me a sheep like we’re in the playground I think I can live with that!

I am, but everyone I know is, so no opportunity to 'break' them. I have to shop as directed, I have to socially distance as directed at work and my dad is not yet visitable.

*Yes. We are following the rules.

I think it’s really sad that people are so gleeful about breaking them and not ashamed at all. We’ve all found the last year unbelievably hard but the rules are what have saved thousands if not millions of deaths. Good people comply with the law. If you don’t like the law/rules then don’t vote conservative!*

I've followed the rules to the letter since the start and shall continue to do so until they change. I fail to see how following the rules set out by the government has anything to do with whether I voted for them or not.

No, not since Easter. We formed a childcare bubble with my parents for the Easter hols and have just carried on seeing them indoors since then. Before that we had genuinely been following the rules.

@ReviewingTheSituation
Yes, I am. And it annoys me that others aren't. What makes you more special? It's selfish. We ALL want and need to see friends. We ALL want to see our parents. In 2 weeks' time, we can do that indoors. The point of waiting is to check that the last relaxing (shops, gyms, hairdressers, outdoor hospitality etc) didn't cause a rise. It doesn't seem to be, so we can enjoy the next relaxation when it comes. But the roadmap is there for a reason- whether you personally agree with it or not is irrelevant. The whole 'I don't know what the rules are any more' argument is particularly irritating. It's not hard to find out, and has been outlined clearly since February, so ignorance is no excuse. It's not like last summer when things were changing at a local level all the time. It's pretty simple - you're not allowed to meet people outside of your bubble indoors (in England). Easy. I hate the restrictions as much as the next person, but I'm willing to make sacrifices so that we can all get back to something close to normal.

This exactly! I’m a teacher and I’ve stuck to the rules throughout but have children in my class telling me they’ve been doing all types of things they shouldn’t. Why should my colleagues and I be put at increased risk just because their selfish parents think they’re above the rules. Makes me so angry.

I genuinely have no idea what all the rules currently are and what is law and what is guidance.

That said, I haven't been inside anyone's house or have had anyone, other than allowed workmen, in my house.

I am in Scotland so am thankful that my youngest can socialise without social distancing and once that was introduced last year his mood and confidence got a huge boost. I suspect I would have broken the no socialising rule for him if it had been in place here as he was really struggling and I would have worried about the longer term damage being done to him. Not all risk comes from covid.

I haven't been in a restaurant or non essential shop since they reopened but only because I can't really be bothered with the queues everywhere.

The one I have broken the most was no travel between local authority areas. I live within a mile of the local authority boundary so would cross it to go food shopping rather than travel miles within my own local authority. Same with work - allowed to go over the border as an essential journey but wasn't allowed to shop while on that essential journey. I'm sorry, but I wasn't driving past 3 supermarkets and put an extra 20 miles on my journey just to go to a supermarket in my local authority area.

Honestly not really. I’ve stuck the rules every time until my kids have been forced to go back to school. I can’t take the rules too seriously while my son is sat in a small room with up to 100 different kids a day (classes of 30, different option subjects changing classes every hour etc), my daughter 60 kids, the kids are allowed to play contact sport, I’m allowed to go to the sweaty gym with strangers. All of those things are of far greater risk then sitting at the other end of the room to our parents. I’m CEV but fully vaccinated now so out of the family I’m was the most at risk so DH has let me risk assess what we do at what stage. He has been out working every day since the first lockdown ended and I am now back in the office once a week.

Nope. I don’t SD outdoors, I share food/picnics & I meet friends with children in groups of 6 adults plus our children. I don’t feel like remotely like I’m taking any major risk.

Some of it isn’t even my ‘choice’. I went out for lunch at the weekend with 5 friends. We were sat on a picnic style bench, so no SD obvs (I wasn’t expecting too). I knew the menu was predominantly tapas usually but assumed they might have a different menu on at the mo. But no. So we all shared lots of dishes & it was gooood!

Mostly. I don't social distance in Tesco because it's not possible as no-one else does. You just have to get in, get what you need, and get out again.

I did go into the office twice in March before the stay at home order was lifted because I was in a really bad place but that's it.

The phrase 'common sense' is usually misapplied. I have seen some proper wallies doing things they call common sense. The phrase makes me wince.

I'm following the rules as I am unvaccinated. I'll follow them once I am vaccinated as other people will be unvaccinated.

"Yup. I'm not a speshul snowflake and don't think I should interpret law according to my own personal and very unique circs,"

Good. You are lucky you don't have them

Interesting replies . Rules and rule breaking seems to be a very divisive subject. During the peak of it all when we were in full lockdown, I too felt annoyed by rule breakers but now with lots of places open for socialising for children, I’ve mellowed and I can understand why people are now making their own choices.

I’m not talking about the people who decide to have huge illegal parties, but it is hard to get annoyed with the children having sleepovers or socialising with friends outside of school.

My own primary aged DC have asked for indoor meet ups with their friends over the BH weekend and admittedly I wobbled and thought about letting them go, but I didn’t in the end for fear of being judged . The disappointment from them was crushing and it’s really made me wonder if at this point, is it doing more harm than good to the children.

Are children allowed to socialise in Scotland?

Well, no matter how much people are ‘furious’ about rule breakers, cases have continued to fall since April 12th. So those who are bending them or indeed fully breaking them a clearly aren’t causing a problem.

Also ‘we all want to see our friends & we all want to see our family’ .. you can. Outdoors or at pub/restaurant or on a shopping trip etc.. you can also travel & stay in airBnB’s which we did last weekend to see the in-laws who live a few hours away. We only met up outdoors. It’s all within within the rules.

You don’t need to continue to lock down, we are ALLOWED to socialise now!

I don't think I know what the rules are any more. I lost any vague interest I might have had in them months ago but more or less stick to an approximation of what I think they are.

I'm not furious, but it does make me feel more worried for ds, who has shielded all year, and is now back in school. He won't get vaccinated until it is trialled as suitable for under 12s, so keeping community cases down and hoping that children in his bubble at school stick to guidelines (and don't come in with symptoms!) is all we've got at the moment!

I do see, on these threads, quite a lot of people saying they've broken the rules, but when they say what it is they have done, it's something that would be allowed anyway under their exceptional circumstances.

No, I haven't stuck to the guidelines. We've had friends in the house, been in their houses, hugged, etc. It was important for my/their mental health.

@Whatalottachocca I ask this as a genuine question, not goady; but when does mental health become a factor in a decision to “break the rules”?

One of my DC is autistic and he has become reclusive, very anxious and is struggling hugely at this point. He is on a waiting list for CAMHS. One of the reasons I wobbled on allowing him an indoor play date with a friend is because for the first time in a year he wanted to go. I understand he could meet outside but he doesn’t feel safe outside so he wanted to be indoors. I am battling with my own morals about breaking rules and the benefits a play date would have for my son. I don’t want to be judged by his school for allowing it

We were rigidly sticking to the rules until this weekend when the weather turned halfway through dinner in the garden. Before any quests come to our home we ask them to conduct a lateral flow test, we do the same. I know its not 100% accurate but its another way to avoid risk.