Anyone else noticed a difference between...

[Onceuponatime1818]

Those who continued going out to work throughout this pandemic and those who worked from home?

My friends are pretty split 50/50 and those that still used public transport to work and had to go into work seem to be enjoying the news freedoms way more than those who stayed home. Their kids are back at groups like gymnastics and swimming. Those who worked from home seem to still be staying home and their kids just go to school and back.

Anyone else noticed this?

The government have scared so many people shitless how’ are they going to support those people to get back to normality?

I also agree about the psychology aspect.

There are those that think if you are a good person and sacrifice things for others and therefore follow all the rules however absurd then you will be rewarded with a long healthy life. Ummm life and certainly health doesn't work like that and being 'good' does not matter.

I’ve wfh the full time and ask totally climbing the walls. I’ve been doing a lot of stuff in the last few weeks..garden gatherings, pubs, gym....as much as I can do

I definitely have a meh feeling though. I’m not scared at all...but everything is just at bit joyless with all the queues, bookings, arrows, masks and general suspicious vibe about the place.,

DH has WFH since last year. I work in a school and DS goes to school. We've been going to anything and everything that's open. DS hasn't had any of his clubs restarting yet and we've not done pubs simply because we can't see the point. But we've eaten out when we could last summer, stayed in a hotel and visited attractions last summer and those that have been able to stay open in one form or other recently.

We're not booking a holiday this year though - we'll do days out and the odd week night or two in a hotel as it comes. Simply because last year saw the Covid Okey Cokey and we're not joining that farce this year. At least if you're booking as you go you don't have the hassle of getting money back or huge disappointments if we do a local lockdown. So we'll spend the cash we save on more outings or upgrading those we're planning. I've got an A4 sized list of places to see within 50 miles of where we live - I never knew some of them existed! Covid's made me think outside the usual a bit which isn't a bad thing.

Apart from that it's business as usual here with a cinema trip planned as soon as something is showing that we want to see. And meeting up with more friends and family.

Definitely, I see my friends who have also worked throughout on a regular basis (outside, within the rules). I'm probably more cautious than some as have lost family members to covid but definitely not as cautious as those who have worked from home throughout. Most people I know are ready to relax a little, but some definitely doing it more cautiously than others.

Not everyone who is staying home is “scared” or “cowering”. That’s utter crap. We are
“happy” and “content” with this less stressful way of living.

Well obviously no one is saying there's a 100% correlation but it's been clear right from the start that those of us who've been out to work as normal have a more pragmatic approach out of necessity

You only need to read a few threads on the covid board to see how a lot of people have totally lost all grip on reality and I think will really struggle to get back to any kind of normal life

Some people are still washing their shopping, quarantining their deleiveries and changing their clothes 3 times a day.

Tbh I very surprised that you would think you're the only one to have noticed.

We’ve WFH. My only hesitance is a natural dislike of crowded places, so we’re delaying going places until after the first couple of weeks of them being open. Other than that, we go places early to avoid peaks, but then we always have.

We have stuck to the rules throughout, which some would argue is “irrational fear”, but was because we a) wanted to be consistent in front of the kids and b) felt that as we had it so easy, the least we could do as our tiny contribution to the common good was stick to the rules. So no, not irrational, but we’ve probably done less than many.

I work from home, DH goes out to work and DS is at nursery. We’ve followed the rules but also enjoying new freedoms sensible. For example DS goes swimming and I met friends for an al fresco lunch last week.

I’m also more excited about soft play than I am the pubs tbh. I’ve already booked DS in next weekend.

All of my friends have worked from home and also have the same sensible attitude.

I therefore think it's about people who have been able to stay at home, have been comfortable financially while others suffer for the 'greater good' and at the same time have never had to face up to their own mortality.

Well I am all those things except for the last one though family members have been very much on the frontline - (including processing the live virus for testing and vaccinating).

I faced odds of only 60% that I would survive Cancer for five years a decade ago so I have definitely looked over that cliff and faced up to the reality of death, and I have lifelong complications including a compromised immune system that hasn’t produced antibodies in response to vaccinations (though I had asymptomatic Covid) .

Death certainly doesn’t scare me but having my life threatened unnecessarily by the complacent and entitled response to this pandemic does bother me. The Indian variant is in my borough and it is looking a lot like November again from here so I will carry on being careful whilst meeting my daughter in restaurants and museums, one reunion with my closest friends in a pub and hoping against hope I get to that holiday cottage with my parents, who I have seen once in the last year, in June.

Pretending we are back to normal and accepting the risk of catching this horrible virus again ? No thanks

DH is a frontline NHS consultant so has worked as per usual for the duration. I have been WFH since March 2020. I am in no rush to go back to the office for lots of reasons but I am much more gung ho about going out and about than DH.

Not about going out but I always have a little smile to myself when I’m out running and people jump a mile when I pass them. I’m a teacher so am used to being close to hundreds of people a day. I often wonder what those people will be like when all restrictions are lifted.

Yes I'd agree. I work in a school and did not stop working this time around as I did at the first wave last March, I'm also a single parent and have been shopping etc the entire time (I don't have space to make online shopping worthwhile) my kids have been mixing with neighbours kids since about this time last year (a little bit before it was allowed by Scottish government but not much). I forget sometimes that others, including children have barely been beyond their homes and gardens. My life and DC's life has been fairly normal for a good while now. For example dc haven't stopped riding and the dog has been walked daily. Nor owned and guides has continued outdoors for a good chunk so we haven't much missed the indoor things

Not true in our house. I have wfh since March 2020 whereas dh has gone to work as normal. We both have pretty much the same opinion, want to get out and about and ds is back at his clubs as normal. However I suspect this comes more from the fact that we've both had covid, I have had two jabs and dh has had one so we feel a lot safer.

Yes I've noticed this. I work out of the home and there seems to be a lot more anxiety about being around lots of people from those who have WFH.

Not about going out but I always have a little smile to myself when I’m out running and people jump a mile when I pass them. I’m a teacher so am used to being close to hundreds of people a day. I often wonder what those people will be like when all restrictions are lifted.

Social distancing is the government advice you know, and still will be for the foreseeable future. I have supported teacher friends who were quite rationally anxious about being in such close contact with hundreds or even tens of people. More should have been done to protect you. However two wrongs don’t make a right. It costs you nothing to give people the respect of two metres rather than invading their space with a smug smile.

Not smug. Just a wry smile.

Oh yes I agree. We always considered ourselves very, very lucky that my DH worked normally throughout. It kept a routine and it kept some sense of normality.

Not about going out but I always have a little smile to myself when I’m out running and people jump a mile when I pass them.

To be honest adult runners huffing and puffing past me bother me far more than the 5 year olds climbing all over me, wiping their noses on my sleeve and having to remove things they've put in their mouths. Please be considerate when passing people as if it annoys totally unanxious me then I can only imagine the fear for those who have just been brave enough to come out

@RedcurrantPuff

If other people want to stay in their home washing shopping and cowering about variants it’s down to them, it’s their lives they are wasting. Make places less busy for the rest of us too.

Yep completely agree you do what you want . It’s the ones who make out you are insane for actually leaving the house for a non essential trip and the thought of going to a restaurant for some is so far out there because they think it’s too risky . I wouldn’t tell anyone what to do but I am concerned for those that were very social people are the opposite now because they are scared.

I don't agree.

I've worked throughout. I'm not "enjoying the new freedoms". Not because I'm scared shitless, but because I enjoyed the quieter pace of life and have no desire to return to the mad crazy schedule we had previously.

@midnightstar66

Not about going out but I always have a little smile to myself when I’m out running and people jump a mile when I pass them.

To be honest adult runners huffing and puffing past me bother me far more than the 5 year olds climbing all over me, wiping their noses on my sleeve and having to remove things they've put in their mouths. Please be considerate when passing people as if it annoys totally unanxious me then I can only imagine the fear for those who have just been brave enough to come out

Oh don’t start with the runners puffing past people again . Yes very brave going out in the fresh air. seriously I’m concerned for anyone who feels like this .

Yes got 2 friends who are sahms and are both terrified of leaving the house - another friend who has wfh as has her husband also terrified of going out.
But my friends who work in retail, healthcare and education are all just getting on with it and can't wait for things to get back to normal and neither can l!

I’ve been WFH for over a year and would do anything to get back to normal.

I am a CS and the thought of going back to a socially distanced office, having to wear a mask, clean everything, not being able to walk up to colleagues, restrictions on use of kitchen/lifts/break out areas and most of all having to fight/negotiate over the few socially distanced desks and meeting room spaces fills me with dread.

Frankly I don’t want to go back until things are more normal. I will be having my second vaccine next week, I’m not scared about COVID, I just dread all the hassle.