People's behaviour in London

[catandcandle]

NC for this, because I probably sound like a bit of a loon. We left London as the lockdown 2020 started and have been living in deep rural bliss in an EU country ever since. Here we still have social distancing, madatory masks indoors everywhere, sanitisers at every entrance. I have spent a lot of the pandemic not going anywhere much, I WFH and it has been possible to pretty much isolate throughout. I did get on a holiday to another European country in the summer (after being double vaccinated) but it was country with low rates, I wore an FFP3 on the plane, and because it was a hot country I spent nearly the whole time outdoors and only went to eat at outdoor places etc.

We decided (after DS aged 12 has now been double vaccinated), to come on a trip back to London (DH for various reasons including fetching things he had to leave behind, me and DS just to see London again and see some friends). DH has gone today, DS and I plan to join him on Friday, for the weekend.

DH has just arrived in London and he called me telling me I am going to freak out, there are people in the shops without masks, no sanitiser at the doors, and when he asked someone to please social distance in a shop they mocked him. He is right, this will be very difficult, I have not encountered these things through the whole pandemic!

I am not asking AIBU, I very possibly am, but this is how I feel, and I hve been managing the pandemic this way because I could. I still want to go to London, and I realise I can take my own sanitiser and keep myself away from people. There is no way I am going to go indoors or on public transport without a medical-grade (FFP3) mask. The rates are just too high for me.

So, I just wanted to ask, are there still people who are going to be as cautious as me there? Will I be stared at and mocked because I (and DS) are wearing masks, shy away from contact and sanitise our hands? I don't suppose I should really care what people think of me, but I would just like to be prepared. I feel incredibly nervous about this trip now.

Why the drama over sanitiser for an airborne virus?

I live in London and I'm still wearing a mask

Lots of people are, but I would say most aren't to be honest.

I believe covid levels are pretty low in London at the moment regardless.

No one would look at you strangely for wearing a mask or sanitising your hands, but they probably would for asking them to social distance

DH has just arrived in London and he called me telling me I am going to freak out

How pleasant of him. Not.

Presumably he knows you have anxiety so why in heavens name is he creating the self-fulfilling prophesy before you've even arrived in London. Ridiculous.

London is really back to normal now aside for a few masks worn on the tube etc.
There's still some sanitiser around but not really much social distancing

Oh my god.

Are you actually being serious?

It may be "drama", and not even that logical, but it is one of the ways I have kept sane during the last eighteen months! I am one of those people who quarantined their post, sanitised their shopping and stripped their DC to their underwear when they came home from school until fairly recently, whether it was logical or not, it was easy to do and it made me feel more in control of at least something.

Seeing people indoors without a mask is not something I have seen personally for eighteen months (very small and compliant population where I Iive) so it is going to feel strange, even if my feelings on that are not logical either.

Can't see that anyone would mock you for asking them to social distance. They might think you were a little weird but you know Londoners, we don't really talk to strangers!

‘Shy away from contact’

You sound like a pair of skittish horses.

So, I just wanted to ask, are there still people who are going to be as cautious as me there? Will I be stared at and mocked because I (and DS) are wearing masks, shy away from contact and sanitise our hands?

I doubt anyone would even notice whether or not random strangers sanitise their hands or wear masks, but not sure how you're going to manage to 'shy away from contact' in a busy city where social distancing requirements have been dropped. If you go around asking people in shops to 'distance' from you, as your husband did, don't be surprised if the response is not to your liking.

Well I doubt you’ll be stared at or mocked but I think you’ll find that most people here, especially those who have been having to go about their lives as normal for months, are learning to live with the small risks that covid brings (for most people).
I would suspect that the majority of those going around in central london will be youngish, fit, healthy and double vaccinated.
Those living in london haven’t had the luxury you’ve had of swanning off to another country where you can live and work in idyllic, rural isolation.
Are you vaccinated?
You do and wear what you please whilst you go on about your business, there are still plenty of people wearing masks and in my experience most shops are still providing sanitiser. London will feel crowded, it’s a working capital city!

Yes I am being serious. Where I am everyone still social distances, wears masks religiously, and sanitises constantly. It is what I am used to now. Why would I not be serious about being nervous?

Just stay home.

@catandcandle

Yes I am being serious. Where I am everyone still social distances, wears masks religiously, and sanitises constantly. It is what I am used to now. Why would I not be serious about being nervous?

"Where you are" sounds awful.

Are you posting from last year?

I live in London and I wear a ffp2 mask in shops and on public transport. No one has mocked me. I try to keep away from people but it's quite hard. Equally I don't freak if people stand too near me

Mask wearing on public transport. A few wearing one out and about, although it’s never been mandatory. In my office we all wear a mask when moving about. Still no hugging and social distancing ongoing.

I'd say it is about 50/50 with the mask wearing. Rates are relatively low here compared to rest of country at the moment, I think lots of us have had it for better or worse. I wear a mask in shops and on public transport, some people wear masks walking down the street which I personally think is a bit unnecessary but then I give the side eye to the people who don't bother on the buses where it is mandatory.

While it is busier than it was and it will no doubt feel busy if you have been living rurally, I would say it's still a lot quieter than pre pandemic times.

Lots of people are still wearing masks, using hand sanitiser, and keeping their distance, though the screens and lines on the floor in shops are largely gone now. I don't think you will be stared at or mocked. People have got into new habits now and it doesn't seem odd, even though these things aren't mandatory anymore.

Yes we are all double vaccinated. I am however not very young nor very fit. Yes, I am a Londoner, I know what London is like.

I didn't swan off", I retired to another country, which I had long planned to do, it just happened to coincide exactly with the pandemic.

@catandcandle

Yes I am being serious. Where I am everyone still social distances, wears masks religiously, and sanitises constantly. It is what I am used to now. Why would I not be serious about being nervous?

On this basis I'd recommend you maybe give the London trip a miss until you're more relaxed

Most shops are providing sanitiser still but I’d say most people are not using it i still wear a mask sometimes. I’d say mask wearers are now the minority but not by much it very much not back to normal though!

Cases are low in London. It’s nowhere near as busy either

I don’t live in london. I wear a mask and sanitise my hands when I’m out.

Maybe London isn’t reflective of everywhere.

But, I’m not sure how effective hand stuff is for an airborne virus. Keep your mask on. Job done.

I'm COVID cautious as getting it would be pretty bad for me with underlying health issues. I was in central london at the weekend. About 30% of people on the tube not wearing masks - although it's compulsory. No social distancing as it's too crowded. I won't be going back in a hurry and I live here. I spoke to a clearly out of town family (not wearing masks) on the tube to let them know that masks are mandatory on london transport. The man was aggressive "its none of your business?" Me : "well it is actually as you could be breathing covid all over me" 🤷‍♀️. Just put a fecking mask on. Really.

You're not being a drama queen, our useless government took away sensible measures like masks far too early and now many people won't adhere to sensible measures. It's a bit shit really.

@catandcandle

Yes I am being serious. Where I am everyone still social distances, wears masks religiously, and sanitises constantly. It is what I am used to now. Why would I not be serious about being nervous?

What country are you living in... It all feels very 2020. If people are behaving in such a cautious way despite numbers being low, and presumably also vaccinated in the main, I wonder what would bring your community out of its rather neurotic seclusion and get more back to normality? I wonder if there will br parts of the world closeted away until 2030, unable or unwilling to move on...

Thanks to the people who have not mocked me on this thread and have reassured me a bit.

It is not "awful" here at all, we have low rates and I feel very safe, apart from it being a lovely place to live. And no, I am not "posting from last year," there are countries where things are different to the UK, you know. My parents live in another country again and they are still subject to strict curfew and madatory masks, among other things.