Have people's opinions changed?

[MassiveOverthinker]

Just wondering really, if the last few months have changed people's opinion on how we managed covid in this country.

Anyone wondering if maybe fewer restrictions would've been better and if more draconian ones (often called for) were unnecessary. Anyone wondering if we needed to close schools, swab and isolate our kids, test and trace etc etc.

Or do people generally feel we did what was necessary at the time and are only okayish now because of weaker variants and higher vaccination levels?

Anyone feel less angry at the rule breakers, those who don't want to be vaccinated etc?

If it all happened again, do you think your response to restrictions would be the same, or would you be a bit more inclined to think "sod that for a laugh".

(Asking for a friend).

"I understand the principle behind "social distancing" (ridiculous phrase)."

Yes a really silly phrase. Who came up with it I wonder?

Yes I know what you were refrring to, IMO it will have reduced mixing because a) fewer people were in the shop as you could only buy certain things and b) people would have been there for less time and c) fewer staff would have been needed to take care of those items. It was intended to remove the 'leisure' shopping from the 'essential' shopping. It had a logic. You can also argue the other way.

I'm not saying it was right, or should have happened, but all reduction in mixing was a reduction in mixing and therefore will have contributed to a lower occurence of serious illness and death.

Is 'social distancing' a silly phrase? It was a new concept and we all understood what it meant after a while.

What other phrase would have been better?

"Is 'social distancing' a silly phrase?"

Yes.

So what phrase would you have used to explain to people what the aim of the legislation/guidance/policy was?

"Keep 2 metres apart."

Or even just 'distancing'. The 'social' part makes no sense.

You have excluded all the caveats there. It was 'keep 2 metres apart when ABC and except when XYZ' and that was summarised under the term 'social distancing'.

Given we all know what it means, it was a very successful new phrase.

The social was added to reinforce the fact it was for people you know not strangers. People are a bit thick (all of us) and there is a bias towards those we know. The people they most wanted us to keep distance from were our social contacts.

People naturally tend to be much closer to those they know so it was necessary to reinforce that, apparently. Even now people swerve round people in the supermarket then spend two hours in a room with no open windows with their friends.

Wonder if Adam Wagner will end up with the same smear campaign against him that Laura Dodsworth got when his book comes out

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1847927467?tag=prhmarketing2552-21

I bet he doesn't

Physical distancing

Or even just "distancing".

Or "keeping apart"

But are we "mixing" with people we pass in a well ventilated shop? Is this how the virus was spreading?

Or was it a classic case of being seen to be doing something, an opportunity for more yellow and black tape?

Plus it gave rise to all the sanctimonious claptrap on social media from the self righteous carping on about people "not socially distancing" on beaches and in parks. And all the virtue signalling updates about people having gone for a walk with a friend (masked and socially distanced of course). Thank fuck that's died a death

Remember all the 'idiots flocking to beaches' posts? Almost always written by people who themselves were at the same beaches?

But of course they weren't 'idiots', nor were they 'flocking'. At least not in the same way. Their 'flocking' was masked and 'socially distanced'.

And all the virtue signalling updates about people having gone for a walk with a friend (masked and socially distanced of course)

Just reading that made me shudder. The desperation of so many to prove that they were Good People and Following the Rules. Ugh.

How retro! 🤣 A bit of granny killing takes me right back to those heady days of 2020!

"Remember all the 'idiots flocking to beaches' posts? Almost always written by people who themselves were at the same beaches? But of course they weren't 'idiots', nor were they 'flocking'. At least not in the same way. Their 'flocking' was masked and 'socially distanced'."

This! I remember someone really going to town about the selfish people going to the local beach - so many people the car park was full. Now, the only way they knew the car park was full was because they had tried to get parked. But of course their journey to the beach wasn't selfish, just everyone else's. It was laughable

It's only ever other people who are selfish.

Another thing that caused huge problems............the closure of public toilets

Perfect example of structural sexism, that. Men can piss anywhere they want, and did.

One of the daftest Scottish rules was surely that you could have a soft drink if out for a meal but not a half pint of lager
No real consideration for the effects of lockdown on business
And the people making the decisions got paid throughout

I didn't know Adam had a book out
is he someone who u turned?

he seemed quite okay with lockdown at the time.

@AppleandRhubarbTart Yep Another thing that didnt occur to many was that the closure of close contact services also included bra fittings. Not all of us can do it at home. Im useless at measuring myself. Consequently my HHs went braless a lot of the time Sometimes still do. I especially enjoyed replying to a pro lockdowner who commented on it that the restrictions he supported also meant the closure of bra fittings.

@EmmaH2022 Its out on the 13th October

No, it will happen again. I know I can't link here but you know about the WHO wanting global coordinated response in future - treaty in progress.