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Original poster

Will Social distancing end on 17th May?

38 replies

Overthebow · 09/05/2021 17:55

News stories seem to be saying hugs will be allowed from17th May. Does this mean social distancing will end, at least in private homes?

OP posts:
Donatella · 09/05/2021 18:10

I think the advice will be to continue to socially distance as much as possible but that you can give brief hugs to a few people if you really must. Clear and unambiguous as always!

Imnothereforthedrama · 09/05/2021 18:15

Social distancing end in June all being well .

BeakyWinder · 09/05/2021 18:28

It makes me sad to think of people waiting for a politician to allow them to hug a loved one. Life is short and cruel enough as it is, go and give them a hug!!

XenoBitch · 09/05/2021 18:30

@BeakyWinder

It makes me sad to think of people waiting for a politician to allow them to hug a loved one. Life is short and cruel enough as it is, go and give them a hug!!
This. It was never illegal to hug anyone... was just a guideline.
Original poster
Overthebow · 09/05/2021 18:37

I’m not waiting to hug people, I’ve hugged family recently. I want social distancing gone though.

OP posts:
BeakyWinder · 09/05/2021 18:39

Ah right, yes me too!

HermioneWeasley · 09/05/2021 18:41

No. It will be reviewed before 21st June but as it wasn’t a lockdown measure, social distancing and mask wearing could be a requirement for some time

FusionChefGeoff · 09/05/2021 18:42

Hugging friends and family is completely separate to general everyday social distancing I'm afraid.

Justa47 · 09/05/2021 18:43

@Donatella

Correct

Original poster
Overthebow · 09/05/2021 18:47

@FusionChefGeoff

Hugging friends and family is completely separate to general everyday social distancing I'm afraid.
Are they suggesting we hug from 2m apart then? Surely if hugs are allowed you no longer have to keep 2m away from friends and family?
OP posts:
TeddingtonTrashbag · 09/05/2021 18:54

It makes me sad to think of people waiting for a politician to allow them to hug a loved one. Life is short and cruel enough as it is, go and give them a hug!!
Well said.
My friends and I are hugging .
I share a workroom (teacher) with a few other people. We don’t or do masks in there because we are not paranoid wet lettuces who need government approval fir normal human interaction.

CallMeCleo · 09/05/2021 18:57

Social distancing and hugging etc is not, and has never been, incorporated into law.

This means that you are and have always been free to make your own assessment of your personal risk and do whatever you want.

Nothing has changed that.

Some people haven't hugged a soul for 14 months. Others have never SD and have been hugging throughout, and are still alive.

LizzieMacQueen · 09/05/2021 19:04

On the radio they were saying if you do hug keep it brief and avoid face to face. So I'm imagining some weird left shoulder to left shoulder kind of hug would be acceptable.

nordica · 09/05/2021 19:06

Isn't it about reducing the number of contacts though?
Hugging your mum and best friend is one thing but I for one don't want to have strangers sitting next to me on public transport or breathing down my neck in the post office before I've had a chance to get vaccinated.

TakeYourFinalPosition · 09/05/2021 19:06

No. You can hug close friends and family, but should avoid face-to-face, and do your own risk assessment. You should maintain social distancing from everyone else, and from your close friends and family when you can, if the leaked changes to the guidance are correct.

LegoCardSwapper · 09/05/2021 19:06

There absolutely is no social distancing anymore. At all. No one is doing it.

LucilleTheVampireBat · 09/05/2021 19:19

@BeakyWinder

It makes me sad to think of people waiting for a politician to allow them to hug a loved one. Life is short and cruel enough as it is, go and give them a hug!!
I know. Imagine letting the government tell you if you can hug your mum or not. Mind boggling.
Wellbythebloodyhell · 09/05/2021 19:28

I know. Imagine letting the government tell you if you can hug your Mum or not. Mind boggling.

Exactly this. The scary thing is people actually follow these ridiculous rules blindly without question Confused

User6587324 · 09/05/2021 19:31

Surely SD ending is for shops and other public places mainly, when we see DS we don't keep 2m apart or we wouldn't fit on the pathway if we were out, we just walk along normally like most other people

HolmeH · 09/05/2021 19:34

You do realise SD just isn’t a thing in certain scenarios anymore. I’ve been out for several lunches with friends. We are sat at table of 6 as we would be normally. There is no distance between us at all. Obviously 2m from the next table but from each other, none 🤷🏼‍♀️ It’ll be the same when we can go indoors with groups of up to 6, we’ll all just sit normally at tables! I’ve been twice to a tapas restaurant recently, shared plates of food.. all this is allowed yet we keeping getting told to keep 2m apart Confused

User6587324 · 09/05/2021 19:43

Yes, if you go out with friends you can't all sit at 2m intervals round a table, that would be ridiculous Grin. It's just a thing so shops can deface the floor with stickers

murbblurb · 09/05/2021 19:44

1 in a 1000 have it now so much smaller chance of coming across someone who has it. Use common sense.

(on that basis - we're screwed...)

bellsbuss · 09/05/2021 19:46

I haven't socially distanced from family and friends since last year and I don't know anyone who does. I started hugging family and friends again from last summer and both sets of grandparents have been hugging our children since June last year. I find it sad that some people will wait until the 17th to hug someone.

tinseloatcake · 09/05/2021 19:51

Imagine a creepy hug from behind thing starting up 🤣🤣

suspiria777 · 09/05/2021 20:08

covid is airborne...