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Original poster

Has anyone given up on clubs and groups?

118 replies

DevonBelles · 12/09/2021 15:10

Just wondering...

I belonged to a reading group and a language group. Both involve sitting around a table in close contact with up to 10 people, one in a pub, the other in a booked room.

Since CV we went online but as from this month we are meeting up.

I feel quite unsure of whether to go back.

Age-wise I'm over 60 and DP has some health issues so some of my concern is for him .

I am going about normal day to day things, but am worried about sitting so close to a group of other people (am fine meeting friends 1:1) who may be infected but asymptomatic and many of them have teens at home.

Comments?

OP posts:
Warhertisuff · 13/09/2021 12:22

@rookiemere

It's a bit disingenuous for people to say, if not now then when.

I would sincerely hope that cases will not continue to run around 35k-40k per day - for one thing at some point the virus will run out of new people to infect.

I think it's perfectly sensible for people to be cautious at this point - particularly if they have a CEV person at home. But maybe I feel differently because I'm in Scotland where WFH is still the norm, for those who can.

I agree it's different if you're CEV, but if large numbers are waiting at home for numbers to go down, once they do emerge, numbers will inevitably go up again!

Staying at home and "waiting it out" only really works if only so few are doing so,
that there's not enough "human fuel" for numbers to rise once they do emerge. It makes sense for the CEV to be those "few"... It doesn't work if a significant proportion of others do the same, and the "few" become the "many".

Warhertisuff · 13/09/2021 12:27

@rookiemere

I would sincerely hope that cases will not continue to run around 35k-40k per day - for one thing at some point the virus will run out of new people to infect.

And how will it run out of people
To infect if most people are working from home?

TheKeatingFive · 13/09/2021 12:36

I would sincerely hope that cases will not continue to run around 35k-40k per day - for one thing at some point the virus will run out of new people to infect.

That will only happen when most people have been infected.

It’s not going away. Case numbers could remain constantly high like cold viruses do. Unless better vaccines are developed, that looks pretty likely.

Life carries on regardless. It is up to you what you want to do with that life.

Stasiland · 13/09/2021 14:09

Well personally I don't want to get Covid. Again. It's easy to be flippant when you've not had it or only mildly. Or you have no risk factors. So easy to tell people to 'live their lives'....

TheKeatingFive · 13/09/2021 14:47

Well personally I don't want to get Covid. Again. It's easy to be flippant when you've not had it or only mildly. Or you have no risk factors. So easy to tell people to 'live their lives'

Well that’s understandable, but for how long?

1 year, 5 years, more?

We can’t assume that covid levels in the population are going to drop much necessarily.

Faffinator · 13/09/2021 15:26

@Stasiland

Well personally I don't want to get Covid. Again. It's easy to be flippant when you've not had it or only mildly. Or you have no risk factors. So easy to tell people to 'live their lives'....
I've had it and that's exactly what I'm telling people. I don't think it's easy, I think it's good advice.
GrandmaSteglitszch · 13/09/2021 15:32

I think some posters forget or ignore one fact: my DP had cancer not long ago with major surgery involved. It's turned our lives upside down more than Covid.

It's much harder to decide to 'get on with living' if it could mean a greater danger to someone you live with.

Stasiland · 13/09/2021 15:43

@Faffinator live your life and get it again ? No thanks. I've got long covid, currently off work and probably will have to retire early. No real health issues prior. Saw too many youngish people die or be severely incapacitated with it at first hand. I see my friends, shop, go for walks, everything I did before but I wear a mask and maintain SD. Have even been to a restaurant but go to a big gathering in a badly ventilated room nope. Why risk it when hopefully in the near future things may die down.

Stasiland · 13/09/2021 15:50

@TheKeatingFive I have no desperate desire to go to gigs at the moment or a busy pub. I'm patient. I take precautions. I value my life and so do my kids. I'm happy to assess the situation and act accordingly. I can't go back to my running club any case due to long covid so that choice is out of my hands isn't it ?

TheKeatingFive · 13/09/2021 15:56

I have no desperate desire to go to gigs at the moment or a busy pub. I'm patient.

Well it’s different if you don’t actually want to go back to anything. There’s no compulsion to do any of this stuff if you don’t want to.

I’m more intrigued if people have the desire, but are waiting.

TheKeatingFive · 13/09/2021 15:58

Why risk it when hopefully in the near future things may die down.

I just saw this. I’m not sure what you mean by die down? What do you think will change?

MrsLCSofLichfield · 13/09/2021 16:16

You think 40,000 people a day will keep getting a nasty flu-like illness, every day, like...forever? Dude, you are just blinding me with science Confused

TheKeatingFive · 13/09/2021 16:18

You think 40,000 people a day will keep getting a nasty flu-like illness, every day, like...forever? Dude, you are just blinding me with science

Well where do you think it’s going?

The vast majority of scientists have concluded its endemic now. Do you disagree?

rookiemere · 13/09/2021 16:19

@TheKeatingFive I don't think there is any country where Covid cases have remained consistently high over a period of time, from what I've seen the curve drops over time - even without mitigants.

I've also read that Covid will mutate over time and become more benign and/or the body will learn a better immune response to it. Also better treatments are being investigated all the time.

It looks as if the outcome of catching it is a lot less likely to be serious as it was previously, but I can totally see why many people would be cautious at the minute. Coronavirus is far from over and if people prefer not to put themselves in situations where there are lots of people right now, then surely that's up to them.

I'm not particularly cautious myself, I would much rather go out and do things, but I do a bit of a risk benefit around it. So much as I enjoy going into the office, I've reverted back to wfh as I'd hate to miss out on the foreign trip we have planned for the October break.

Stasiland · 13/09/2021 16:20

@TheKeatingFive Clearly by die down I mean not 30,000 plus cases a day and 1000 deaths a week ?

TheKeatingFive · 13/09/2021 16:25

I don't think there is any country where Covid cases have remained consistently high over a period of time, from what I've seen the curve drops over time - even without mitigants.

Nope, cases rise and fall, peaks follow troughs. That wave pattern is evident as you say, but it won’t subside to any great or semi permanent degree until it runs out of bodies to infect.

I've also read that Covid will mutate over time and become more benign

If you read a bit more, you’ll see that this isn’t a given with a virus that transmits asymptomatically

and/or the body will learn a better immune response to it.

I think the freshly vaccinated are as good as it gets for a while. The only thing that will improve immune response is vaccination or infection.

Also better treatments are being investigated all the time.

Sure, but how long?

I understand the caution, but I think we have to acknowledge that it’s more psychological now than anything else. Risk from covid isn’t going to radically decrease in the foreseeable.

TheKeatingFive · 13/09/2021 16:26

Clearly by die down I mean not 30,000 plus cases a day and 1000 deaths a week ?

What numbers will you be comfortable with?

As testing is wound down how can you be sure you’re making meaningful comparison?

Sillysop92 · 13/09/2021 16:32

More than happy to be back in groups indoors, after all I work in a school 🤣

Warhertisuff · 13/09/2021 17:31

[quote Stasiland]@TheKeatingFive Clearly by die down I mean not 30,000 plus cases a day and 1000 deaths a week ?[/quote]
But how will it die down if there are millions of "Covid virgins" like you waiting to emerge once numbers do fall... when numbers will just rise again as Covid finds new bodies to infect?

Of course, if you're CEV (or living with someone who is), it's understandable, but the longer "nervous normals" shy away from life, the longer this thing will be drawn out.

Snailhaterz2 · 13/09/2021 17:48

I'm currently checking with our book group what they feel comfortable with, as the summer comes to an end and outdoor meetings become less likely. No consensus as yet, but there are several (the ones who have older/iller partners or frail parents) who only want to sit in other people's houses if they know everyone is fully vaccinated. That's just about manageable in a smallish group most of whom know each other anyway, but - if they stick to those criteria - those people won't be attending exercise classes or evening classes any time soon. I'm a bit more relaxed, as I don't have those issues - I'm already back in my pilates class, and will be pelting back to the one craft-based evening class I do as soon as it starts. I'm hoping they drop the mask requirement that they had in between lockdowns last year, but haven't heard yet.

MrsLCSofLichfield · 13/09/2021 17:51

@Stasiland has stated that she's had COVID previously. So have I, and it was v. unpleasant. I'm now double-vaccinated and remain uninterested in catching the virus again, however much in the public interest that might be.

rookiemere · 13/09/2021 18:07

@MrsLCSofLichfield yes I'm bemused by this idea that it's our patriotic duty to get infected.

I'm no scientist but my understanding is that the less covid is circulating in the community, the less likely you are to catch it. So going out when numbers are lower will be less risky in terms of catching covid. Obviously there will then be an upturn in numbers, but I did think that pacing infection levels was also part of the strategy.

Warhertisuff · 13/09/2021 18:24

[quote MrsLCSofLichfield]@Stasiland has stated that she's had COVID previously. So have I, and it was v. unpleasant. I'm now double-vaccinated and remain uninterested in catching the virus again, however much in the public interest that might be.[/quote]
If you've had Covid and been vaccinated then your risk is extremely low!

MrsLCSofLichfield · 13/09/2021 18:43

@Warhertisuff - fair enough, it's important to bear in mind the positive stuff Smile

Unfortunately the only gathering I've been at recently was a funeral (not COVID-related) - 150 unmasked people in a small village hall, then went to the pub. It was fine, but wish it had been for some other reason!

My pre-WFH shift patterns and commutes meant that the only really regular F2F activity I could manage was a martial arts class on Sundays, but that was killed off by lockdown 2. I can now attend a lot of virtual classes & events which I didn't have time for before, at least. Hoping for a more sociable 2022!

RobinPenguins · 13/09/2021 18:45

Depends how much value they bring to your life. If you’re not really that bothered either way then I can see why you’d stop, but if it was important to you or a big part of your life then it’s not a decision I’d make. This is never going to be over.