Feeling so down about this - here we go again!

[julieca]

This is beginning to feel like early March 2020. Social things are being cancelled, face masks are back and the government are meeting tonight to talk about possible further restrictions. Alongside this cases have risen a lot in the last few days.
Apart from the fights over toilet roll, it almost feels like the start again. And we don't even have nice sunny weather. Instead it is cold, dark and miserable.
I have just been feeling so down about it today. Anyone else?

I definitely don't feel like March 2020 but does feel a bit like Dec 2020. I feel absolutely heartbroken for the hospitality industry right now and reading about the music teacher upthread having all their events cancelled makes me want to cry quite honestly

I went to a little panto tonight with my DD's brownies. It was really lovely and made me feel quite Christmassy. But then I read the daily Mail and it's all doom and gloom. I hope we don't go back to before. My DM is in hospital now and looks like she won't get out for Christmas either.

@julieca yes but you were implying that people were avoiding doing things and lots of things were being cancelled. That’s not the case where I am from and if you are disappointed about your event being cancelled why don’t you just plan to do something else you enjoy instead? I feel like a lot of people on here are locking themselves down when there are absolutely no limits to what you can do at the moment. For what it’s worth I think this will turn out to be a bit of a storm in a teacup and even if it’s not people are not going to accept any more restrictions on who they can and can’t see.

I feel like a lot of people on here are locking themselves down when there are absolutely no limits to what you can do at the moment.

Yep.

Likely though restrictions will come in. Ireland have just bought them in.

@KurtWildesChristmasNamechange

I feel like a lot of people on here are locking themselves down when there are absolutely no limits to what you can do at the moment.

Yep.

Not at all It's by being out and about we noticed the issues

Also, in the bar/restaurant, people were doing masks except when seated. Whether that's choice or misunderstanding, it made me feel like the past.

And of course, the office party not turning up and with no warning.

Some people are doing it to themselves. Which is fine, but phoning the venue is just manners. I hope they took a deposit.

@Katie517 We have had two events cancelled and others not wanting to meet up at restaurants. Others on this thread have experienced similar. I am not locking myself up, what a ridiculous thing to say. But unlike some people, we don't have things planned almost every day. We had 5 things planned, 2 have been cancelled and 1 has been downsized. Sure I can do other things, but I am not keen on doing things for the sake of it.

@KurtWildesChristmasNamechange

I feel like a lot of people on here are locking themselves down when there are absolutely no limits to what you can do at the moment.

Yep.

I saw a comment on here the other day from someone blaming people not getting vaccinated for the fact their parents have not left their house for almost 2 years. Why? We had virtually no restrictions last summer, and cases/hospitalisations/deaths were very low. I say do what you want whilst you still can.

@teaandtoastwithmarmite

I went to a little panto tonight with my DD's brownies. It was really lovely and made me feel quite Christmassy. But then I read the daily Mail and it's all doom and gloom. I hope we don't go back to before. My DM is in hospital now and looks like she won't get out for Christmas either.

Soory to hear that, I hope she gets home.

I'm happy going out and about and doing all the things, I'm not going to self-impose restrictions.

But I can't stop DD's secondary school cancelling their end of term Christmas show

@daisydoh

I'm so confused why Christmas parties would be cancelled?! I'm clearly missing something.

We have been vaccinated - I am not cancelling Christmas party I don't see why it should be. We have done all we can and life MUST go on.

We need to keep hospitality in business.

No chance is our party being cancelled, and I will be attending.

Seriously though, why are people overreacting over this? And Covid isn't going anywhere do we not need to just live now?

It's quite bizarre.

People see the words "new variant", and panic, and self impose a load of questionable restrictions on themselves.

I have just seen on another MN thread reports from SA about more under 5s in hospital because of this variant. The most admitted are over 60s, and then under 5s year olds.

OP, I feel very much the same as you. I too have been tracking the news from SA today and I feel so deflated and worried. I don't think I'm overreacting either, many scientists worldwide appear to be ringing alarm bells loudly. The news about the rate of children being hospitalised by this new variant in SA is just horrendous.

I think people are panicking somewhat because they don’t want Christmas ruined so by their own thinking they don’t want to put relatives at risk or risk being in isolation over Christmas.
Then there’s also the charts that show increased hospitalisations in under 2 year olds in South Africa (which is what is worrying me!) and you’ve probably got people reconsidering plans.

@Arewebacktonormalyet cross post - it’s hideous isn’t it? I can’t find any info on the severity of symptoms in under 4s or whether there have been any deaths in the age group. It’s so hard when we don’t have information properly yet

There are no known deaths yet from this variant. But it was only detected less than a month ago. It takes time from exposure, infection, hospitalisation to death. And all the early reports were of healthy fit adults in their twenties and thirties who we would not expect to die from this anyway.

Does it really feel like March 2020? We couldn’t travel, meet friends, eat out and do leisurely things. I am currently in Brazil which is something I haven’t been able to do quarantine free (and recently, legally as it was on the red list) and life here is very normal minus the mask wearing.

I’ve been living my life like normal since July and hasn’t been a concern of mine since since I have been fully vaccinated.

@Shimmylikejoanholloway the lack of information right now is hard and it doesn't help that the information that has been published from SA makes for fairly grim reading. Hopefully we will know more soon and perhaps the media will report it sensibly...

Unfortunately (and it's clear from many of the replies on this thread) many people appear to think any concern at all is an overreaction. I'm not surprised given the fact that so little of what is known about the new variant has been reported properly in the Uk. Also given the mixed messaging from the Government this week. They appear more concerned with parties and snogging than this new threat to public health!

To be honest I think they know that it's going to take something fairly major to get everyone on board with any restrictions again.

I'm not known for panicking but I will say I'm concerned right now. Hopefully I can be accused of overreacting in a few weeks, but for now, I'm placing my bets on this not being the normal Christmas we all want so much.

@Hairbrush123 it is like early March before the lockdown when we had no real facts and just lots of rumours coming in from China and then Italy.

Yeah, it's a crock of shit. Yet another gig I was looking forward to has been cancelled. I just wanted one thing to look forward to a the end of a shitty year.

Good god, it feels like March again because the people that are in charge are still acting like imbeciles and leaving us in the dark whilst they carry on with their merry lives.

This is no longer a new virus we should be coming to the end of this but instead we’re still floundering at the first sign of a new variant. 2 years on.

We know how to minimise transmission, we have a vaccine, the research into this virus and how it works is constantly worked on.

What else can we possibly DO?!

Nope nothing like it. Cases are going down right now, the graph is fluctuating up-down-up-down like it has since things opened up again. I was out tonight at a restaurant, town was full, places busy, train busy, most people masked. The only way it is like 2020 is if you read all the scare-mongering articles going round right now.

The truth is we don't know enough about about omicron to react with anything but caution, hence Governments are being cautious but not overreacting, until we know more.

@julieca

This is beginning to feel like early March 2020. Social things are being cancelled, face masks are back and the government are meeting tonight to talk about possible further restrictions. Alongside this cases have risen a lot in the last few days. Apart from the fights over toilet roll, it almost feels like the start again. And we don't even have nice sunny weather. Instead it is cold, dark and miserable. I have just been feeling so down about it today. Anyone else?

I've got deja vu to that time.

We were sent to wfh from about February 24th 2020, but many people back then were carrying on as usual, and some were shocked when we went into lockdown a month later, and when large numbers of people were dying of covid every day throughout April.

There were super spreader events at gigs and sporting events in mid-March and our Prime Minister told us to carry on as usual but wash our hands not many days before he called the first lockdown.

@GrumpyTerrier

Nope nothing like it. Cases are going down right now, the graph is fluctuating up-down-up-down like it has since things opened up again. I was out tonight at a restaurant, town was full, places busy, train busy, most people masked. The only way it is like 2020 is if you read all the scare-mongering articles going round right now.

The truth is we don't know enough about about omicron to react with anything but caution, hence Governments are being cautious but not overreacting, until we know more.

Is this not exactly what everybody said in the first place about our government?

“They’re being cautious but not overreacting”. Whilst we were all washing our hands to the tune of happy birthday and letting the virus run rampant. I don’t see why we’re putting our faith in them.

Especially after everything that has come to light throughout the whole pandemic. Just live life ffs

I agree with you OP and others who feel like we are just stuck in an endless cycle!

My dds’ nursery has been shut the last couple of weeks due to so many covid cases, the infant school (on the same grounds as the nursery) has also had multiple classes infected. Another local nursery has also been closed due to so many cases.

My brother was in Namibia working and miraculously flew home the day before it was red listed! He then got pinged as someone on the flight had the new variant and he had to isolate.

My girly Christmas do last weekend half the group didn’t go due to having covid, several more including me felt uncomfortable going as so many people in our area seem to be catching covid. My sister has long covid and has no sense of smell at all 6 months on. I know people say we should get on with it etc but I still don’t want that for myself or my kids, who are 4 and 1, imagine losing one of your senses at that age and barely being able to describe it.

I just wish I could wake up in 2019 and this was all a horrible dream. As someone else said, I want old life back :( I’m not a doom and gloomer generally and nobody in my day to day life would guess I feel this way, I’m sorry if this contributes to others on this thread feeling like crap!