Are you avoiding public places?

[asilikeit]

Just as the title asks- are you avoiding public places such as shops, bars restaurants?
Eagerly awaiting an announcement from Boris and very conflicted as to what I want him to say.

We own a retail/ hospitality business and feel torn. If he's going to say that he isn't closing anything but advise people to be careful socialising then it's going to be hard slog for us if people don't visit places.
If he closes us and brings back furlough/ grants etc then whilst its far from ideal the choice is removed and we do what we can to survive .

If he isn't closing things then the sector need people on seats and I'm worried people are going to be to scared.

Sorry for the rambling not even sure what I'm asking now! 🤪

Avoiding all public places including shops, restuarants and the gym until infections / cases per 100,000 comes down, its not worth the risk.

That said that my decision is completely independent of Boris announcements, I look at the stats published in the ZOE app and the Government dashboards, and conversations with friends/colleagues gives me an idea of how much covid is around.

I'm not going to busy packed pubs at evening time.

But tbh I wouldn't have done that pre covid anymore.

I go to cafes, restaurants etc for lunch.

I ask for a seat near a window and for the window to be open but I'm also happy to sit outside if it's cold (not raining!)

I've tried to support our local independent hospitality since this started and have discovered some fabulous places and found the customer care and service much higher.

I've discovered a local tea rooms that has GF! And a wide variety - not just chocolate cake! They also do sandwiches and scones as well.

I would go to a shop if I needed to but don't really tend to shop much for pleasure, only if I need something .

I would also go out for meal - we went on Christmas Day - but I've had to cancel two meals out this week due to the people I was planning to meet not being available - one Covid related, the other not .

Don't tend to do other things much anyway . If I had a holiday booked I would go.

Not avoiding anything , life is too short as it is without depriving ourselves of small pleasures. I've been going to pubs, gigs, garden centre's cafe's, restaurants, cinema, Xmas shopping in London, etc.
I refuse to live like a hermit. I've more chance of dying from cancer or heart disease than Covid.

@wallypopz

The people who are going out regularly are you testing regularly?

I do LFTs a couple of times a week,
normally would be before seeing anyone vulnerable but at the moment there seems to be general agreement for people to test before meeting

No I don’t test

Nope. Masking up and getting on with it

I test if I have symptoms

No
I agonised over going to the theatre and restaurant last week in London and then another day meeting a friend.
I went to it all and came out unscathed...
What does annoy me however is some restaurant say.. All staff lat flow test before every shift and wear masks.
Enhanced general hygiene and proper ventilation.
Some do f all. Not even a bloody window open sometimes

Or shops no windows open.
Or the door propped open.

Anyway we are trying to go out....

I've not been out since our potential exposure in London but then I was testing yes.
Tomorrow we are going to an outdoor event and no probably won't test before or after.

I thought you were supposed to be testing with the LFTs without symptoms to catch all the asymptotic cases?

I limited stuff leading up to xmas because I test anyway for work.

No. Carrying on with my life as normal.

We used to eat out several times a week. Since this started I've hardly been out to restaurants. During summer we did eat outdoors when available.

It's not relaxing and we've realised that we can make as good (if not better) food, much cheaper at home.

If hospitality had just been pro-active about things (including vaccination checks) then I think people would be more apt to go out.

I don't really go to many places anyway, but I'm living pretty normally. Everywhere I have been has been absolutely packed from supermarkets, to shops, to the cinema etc so I don't think people are scared tbh

I became CEV in the summer due to starting immunosuppressant drugs.

Before then I went to the pub very occasionally but always sat outside and used table service (I was CV before becoming CEV), but not anymore. No restaurants or anywhere I have to sit in. I went to a gig as a sort of farewell to my old life (for now at least) before I started meds, however I was double jabbed and cases were very very low where I am. I also had a very short UK city break around the same time for the same reasons. Both were lovely and I'm so glad I did.

In the Beforetimes me and DH would go out for a meal/drinks on the evenings between Christmas and New Year. I miss it so much. Last year was shit because nothing was open - this year it's all open, but I can't go. I walk past our favourite pubs and restaurants like a Victorian orphan with their nose pressed up against the window of a sweet shop

In all seriousness it's really got me down, DH too. He has to put up with not doing fun stuff because of me and it's shit for him.

@ufucoffee

No. Carrying on with my life as normal.

Same here. Hoping the pub is going to be busy tomorrow, I need a bit of people watching time.

That's such a shame @TheVampiresWife
Hopefully it will only be the next few months it's a problem for you, with Spring coming up a s hopefully things will be back to normal next winter .