Will we really be locked down after Christmas? I’m so sad :(

[PositivelyFooked]

DD’s second birthday is on 31st December; last year was spent in lockdown. This year is looking to head the same way.

I initially stopped keeping up with the news on covid. Now the majority are fully vaxxed I just think it’s all a bit ‘what’s the point’ (especially after no. 10 party and laughy-llegra making a tit of us all).

But I mentioned to my mum that I was thinking of booking the sea life centre to take DD for the day for her birthday and how excited I was to actually celebrate it this year. She’s told me to hold off booking because it’s likely we’ll be back in lockdown. I’m so gutted I can’t even put into words. We’ve not got to properly celebrate her birthday yet since she’s been born and I can’t help but wonder if this will become a pattern of events for the next few years.. new strain mutated, spend Christmas galavanting then lockdown immediately after.

New Year’s Eve is a shit day to be born, let alone when your birthdays are spent in a lockdown.

I know technically it’s for the best. But I can’t help but think the majority are vaccinated; would this be the case if 100% of the population was vaccinated.. or are we just suffering at the hands of those who aren’t. I’m totally pro-choice and didn’t care about who is or isn’t vaccinated, but now I’m just peed off with anyone who isn’t contributing their bit to beating covid.

Another home party just the 3 of us then

I would celebrate this week instead. At 2, she won’t know the difference

No idea OP, but I'd do it this week to be sure

NYE is a great day to be born! She’s 2, go now and celebrate at home on the day of it’s a lockdown or do something outside if allowed. Tbh Sealife centre isn’t worth the angst.

“I’m totally pro-choice and didn’t care about who is or isn’t vaccinated, but now I’m just peed off with anyone who isn’t contributing their bit to beating covid”

This is exactly what the government want us to do. Turn against one another instead of looking at their woeful mismanagement, disregard of their own rules, hypocrisy and arrogance.

I can’t and won’t blame anybody who’s had enough of the shitshow at the moment. I’m sorry you haven’t got to celebrate your daughter’s birthday properly yet, it’s rubbish for you all. Personally I’d be inviting a small number of close family round anyway if they’d still come, even if you beg/borrow/buy a couple of patio heaters or something and do it in any outdoor space you have, even if it’s just pop round for birthday cake. There are things in this world more important than the Covid circus.

Who can predict what this shower will come up with as their next bright idea.....fairly sure that while it's sad for you, the 2 year old will never know the difference if you go in March!
My dd is 10 and her birthday is in March so she's had 2 lockdown/can't do anything birthdays in a row. Keeping fingers & toes crossed for this year.

I thought we wouldn’t have anymore lockdowns and then a few days ago I read the SAGE minutes & I think there will be some restrictions yes. The minutes from the meeting are pretty damming. I heard Savid Javid on sky news repeatedly saying ‘we’ll follow the science’ so I think there will be something put in place in the next week/10 days. Other countries in Europe (who have similar or lower figures than the UK), still have some new or old measures in place.
I don’t think a full lockdown but it will be something not called a lockdown.

Here’s the minutes i am referring to: www.gov.uk/government/publications/sage-99-minutes-coronavirus-covid-19-response-16-december-2021/sage-99-minutes-coronavirus-covid-19-response-16-december-2021

I do wonder why in the UK the feeling is very ‘anti restrictions’ whereas in some other countries people seem more accepting? Would you have been happier to wear masks for the last few months but still be able to go to the sea life centre? I wonder why in the UK it’s developed as it has. Is it down to Boris’ ‘freedom day’ and feeling he is now backtracking?
In any case if you want to go out & about I’d go this side of Xmas Xo

Well, it's rubbish to be in lockdown and rubbish for you if you can't go ahead with your plans for dd's birthday, but at the end of the day a 2 year old will not have any lasting memories of their 2nd birthday anyway- there'll be other birthdays to celebrate in the future which she will remember.

It’s my daughter’s 16th birthday on NYE - I’m hoping if there are restrictions, it might just be limited households as opposed to no mixing at all.

@Katie517

Obviously if the sea life centre is closed you can’t go but why are you contemplating not seeing people jut because Boris might decide on a random date to say that you can’t? We are almost 2 years in and if you would be happy to have a gathering for your daughter if a lockdown isn’t announced do it regardless. I’m never stopping seeing family and friends again we have vaccines and testing now we didn’t before. Don’t let this crappy government steal memories you won’t ever get back!

This. I have complied with ‘the rules’ throughout but this year is different. We have vaccines and lateral flow tests. I can’t do anything about businesses that have to close but when it comes to personal gatherings I will be testing myself and my family and then cracking on. We’re of a demographic where serious illness is very, very unlikely and we don’t have jobs that would cripple the country’s infrastructure if we were off sick. So at an individual level, us locking ourselves away from friends and extended family achieves fuck all and I won’t do it to us again.

Take a test and celebrate your baby’s birthday with your loved ones.

I don’t think we will. There will be further restrictions but I’m not sure the government will do a full lockdown because they can’t afford the furlough!

Hope you get to celebrate the birthday :-)

it doesn’t look like they’ll limit anything. That can’t afford it.

I doubt it, if admissions and deaths continue to remain low, then cases become irrelevant.

I agree. Gov can;t fund another set of grants and furloughs. And vaccinations have been rolled out to prevent more lockdowns. Also, too many people just wouldn't comply. I think places might be closed due to cases and isolation but a national lockdown is unlikely.

I don’t know. We have plans to visit relatives that we haven’t seen in so long and I’m so upset about maybe missing that too, the same trip was cancelled last year. Our Christmas is going to be very flat for various reasons and this trip was going to be ‘Christmas’ for me.

Anyway last year when it was cancelled we managed to get some last minute tickets for a light trail thing in a park just as something to do instead. It was sold out on lots of other dates but for some reason not as popular on NYE. Maybe that’s something you could look at as something outdoors so unlikely to be cancelled whatever restrictions come in.

I know how crap it is to have had a baby/ toddler through all this and to have missed out on celebrations that were important to you even if your DD won’t know much different.

Our daughters share a birthday, OP! My little girl turns two on the 31st as well, and we were planning a little party with her friends of the same age. We'll see what happens whether it goes ahead or not.

I know lots of people have said "she won't remember, she's only two" which is true, but your memories count too and that first year in particular was truly hard not being able to share the memories with family and loved ones. You're perfectly justified to feel sad, I know I do.

We'll probably try and take her somewhere nice this week in case everything does close too. But equally conscious I don't want to catch Covid and risk Christmas + NYE in isolation.

Whatever happens I know I'll be opening a bottle of something on the 31st so will cheers to us!

She’s 2 and doesn’t know what date her birthday is.

If you can manage it financially you could choose a day this week, tell her it’s her birthday, do everything you want to do for celebrating it. And then not do anything on her actual birthday.

It's hard to say for definite what is going to happen, but I would hold off booking anything if it is going to leave you out of pocket. If there is no lockdown and aquariums stay open then you can book then.

Agree with PPs. Omicron has been here for weeks now and hospitalisations are at just 85, with deaths around 10. Nearly 40,000 people have tested positive for Omicron now, so everything would suggest it really is mild. The thought of shutting the country to protect people from a cold is ridiculous

I truly don't think we will be in another lockdown. More restrictions, yes, but not a lockdown.
As for those who are unvaccinated not doing their bit, I'm not convinced.
So many of our friends have had Covid and all are vaccinated. The pressure on infrastructure is coming from the 10 day isolation period, not from people being gravely ill, so all of our vaccinated friends would have contributed to the problem by catching Covid and isolating.

Nobody knows, not sure even those in charge know what to do now. They are damned if they do, damned if they don't to a certain extent because there's a 2-3 week lead time between infection being registered and people being seriously ill. The information they haven't released is whether those 65 people in hospital with omicron are double or triple vaccinated and whether they have compromised immune systems

I know what you mean. My children are older but ds2 still hasn't had his 2020 birthday trip & he's now almost 2 years older. I was hoping he could have it in 2022.

@Bluntness100

The media has such a lot to blame for here. They ask politicians if it’s possible, which of course it is, however unlikely and then make a big song and dance about it.

It’s possible if hospital admissions and deaths spike to such a level they think that the nhs will be destabilised. Right now that’s not happening and every day hundreds of thousands of people are being boosted.

This, with bells on.

My birhthday is NYE, I'm in my 50's now but have always felt that it's a great day for a birthday.
Everybody's happy most are around and ready to party. I've never been to work on or the day after my birthday.
If she's little she won't have any idea of what she might be missing, it's up to you to put a positive spin on it

Who knows with this shower of a government.
Do whatever you’d planned to do today or tomorrow. Declare it ‘early birthday’ and have a ball!!!!

I can't speak on restrictions but just wanted to say I share your frustration.

My DD will be two on the 28th, a crap day to be born anyway cause its overlooked by xmas (she was due end of Feb, so we didn't plan it this way!) but like you, we are facing another year of not being able to celebrate her properly :(

@MrsLarry

I don't know, but she's 2! Honestly, she really won't have a clue. Just have a lovely day with her at home if needs be.

Unfortunately, life with children is full of little disappointments. You need to toughen up.

This is not a "little disappointment" have some empathy ffs