AIBU to be sick of people who think it's all back to normal?

[JanusTheFirst]

Woke to the news that my cousin died early this morning of Covid. No underlying conditions and she was vaccinated. But she was elderly. She hardly ever went out but must have picked it up on a rare outing to the local shop.

People are still dying and we should still be looking out for those vulnerable to this awful disease. It isn't all back to normal. My cousin is dead and she wouldn't be but for Covid.

You were the one who inserted your father into MY anecdote. I've now further explained my thinking regarding why I find it selfish for my grandmother to have her birthday celebration in a pub (she might feel like she's nearly dead anyway, but she's putting others at risk - like my aunt - who would otherwise have many more years to live). Younger people were forced to sacrifice living life during the worst of the pandemic, but now older people like my grandmother don't see why they should have to do the same to protect people younger than them who are still vulnerable and who would die rather prematurely if they caught Covid. It's very much an 'I'm Alright Jack' situation.

I'm not sure what OP wants. Covid is with us forever. So are RSV & flu. Mostly they are benign & there are vaccines that can mostly protect against severe disease. Are we supposed to be paranoid about passing these things on forever ?

Zero-covid Chinese style, even the Chinese gave up on that.
How much caution do some people want us to have forever, if social distancing was benign/supportive to education & the economy & mental health then we would have been doing SocDis since forever... so self-evidently these are bad ways to live forever. that's why people want 'back to normal'. OP is saying We should Never go 'back to normal'.

Its a risk being cold is uncomfortable for many people. People balance risks everyday for most people COVID is a mild inconvenience so they would rather take a small risk than sit freezing on the train.

Blimey what a weird outlook. Your aunt could just not go. And still no idea why you seem so angry about elderly people going out. It’s not selfish.

And to prevent children from getting infections when they are young severely damages the development of their immune system. They need to get all the bugs when they are little or they cannot fight off anything when they are older, (and often the illness hits them much harder when they are older)

Wtf are you on about? Does your grandma actively have COVID? Why shouldn't people go out?

If you have someone vulnerable in your household you make your own decisions. So if someone younger is vulnerable in your household you can choose not to go out and not have visitors like gran.
You don't dictate others actions.

Best, sensible, pragmatic post so far! 👏👏👏

I do think that if people have any contagious virus then the least they can do, is to wear a mask and use hand hygiene to help prevent spreading it. After all, flu kills people, and people who are immunosuppressed can have problems from a common cold.

Three years ago we didn't have that culture but now that we have got used to seeing people in masks, and learned how to wash our hands properly, surely it's the least anyone can do when going to indoor public places like shops / offices /train stations?

Sorry for your sudden loss. Its always hard.

But what is normal? It is normal that breaks of deseases come once in a while and lots of people die because of it. Its pathetic that people think we can stop this and rule the world. Its also normal that old people die.

Sorry about your cousin. But no we fucked our up economy, our health system, peoples mental health, children's education...to effectively kick the can down the road for a few months for people that were at the end of their lives anyway. So yes we should be back to normal because and sad as it is people get sick and people die.

I totally agree @amylou8 Pretty forthright post, but 100% bang on.

@Fifi00 Thanks for your patronising response. I do work yes. I also now have a child who needs 24 hour care since catching covid, so now I’m juggling both.

I’m not sure why you think I don’t work? Or that I supported the lock down? Im also not sure why you object to wanting to live in a society where sick workers are paid to stay off sick? Considering a lot of low earners work for massive corporations who earn huge profits and pay their CEOs and shareholders a disproportionate amount of money compared to the actual workers, I think this could remedied quite easily with better worker rights?

I would argue that the government’s mismanagement of money, awarding contracts to their mates and wasting billions of pounds on faulty PPE and fraudulent claims which they can’t be bothered to claim back is what we should all feel angry about. Some of those billions they wasted could have been used to install clean air filtrations in schools which other countries did.

Again, why would you argue that installing clean air systems into schools is a bad idea? It would cut sickness and therefore less pressure on parents taking time off to look after sick kids.

No, I don't think people on the breadline should be buying tests, or people should skip work if they need to support their families. That's exactly why I said 'sometimes it's not possible'. Going out to a party if you're feeling somewhat unwell, or sending a sick child to school when you're a SAHP, these are the sort of things I'm objecting to as I said upthread.
Re testing - I only suggested testing if people think they have Covid. Not when people feel well.

I'm guessing you're young. I'm a bit older. I know older people die, but they don't need to die unnecessarily! I think people should stay home if they have flu too btw.

That's not what we did ,we locked down to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed,Manny people disagreed with these measure ,s but it was never to stop.people from dying ,and btw,lots of people who were classed as CEV,and shielding were not at the end of their lives ,my dh,was on the shielding list as he has Diabetes he's 48 ,I hope he has a good few years left yet!

I don't have a problem with it but the government have handled COVID so badly it's given people like a collective PTSD. They don't want to be reminded of anything to do with COVID as it was horrific time. If shops just put hand sanitizer there and masks without making a big deal out of it , people might be more willing to do it. The signs saying wear a mask or people trying to force it the less the public will want to do it. Right now mask wearing and hand sanitising is associated with restrictions on liberty not as a public health measure. The government have severely fucked up.

@Thismonkeysgonetodevon

A high proportion of British schools are crumbling away so fittting expensive 'air filtering' machinery is ridiculous. Can school budgets even afford that??

Letting people stay home 'sick' on full pay? For having a sniffle?Sorry, but who picks up the slack in the workplace ... there's not enough of us to accommodate that!

This thread perfectly illustrates exactly what the problem is. People refuse to actually live in the situation we're in and take sensible, practical measures to drastically reduce their chances of getting Covid or anything else. They want to do EXACTLY what they want to do, at all times, like spoiled, petulant little children.

When I get on the train to central London, I'm happy I'm able to live my life normally and go out and do things. The open windows and being a bit chilly are a tiny price to pay for hugely reducing the chances of catching something, but no, for some people this is too much of a sacrifice, so they close the windows and force everyone else to sit in a germ box with the windows steaming up, because they couldn't be arsed to wear a scarf.

Having a birthday dinner at someone's home is about 90% of the experience of having it in the pub. The birthday person gets their dinner cooked for them (or takeaway ordered in), they see their loved ones, socialise, get out of their own home, but no, they just have to go to the pub and put others at risk because they want exactly what they want.

Having to wear a mask in a hospital waiting room is slightly annoying but a tiny price to pay for receiving healthcare and keeping others safe. But no, rather than tolerate a minor inconvenience, most people would rather just not wear one.

The selfishness, short sightedness and bullishness displayed on this thread is why we are where we are.

Does it even do that much? China is an example of mask wearing but the bigger factor is low immunity.

We have high immunity now. People can if they want to individually but no thanks from me, I prefer not having masks long term.

OP you are grieving and want to blame someone so it's understandable that you are lashing out.

But no it isn't anyone's fault. People die including lots much younger than your cousin from many things including viruses.

Your cousin might have had many years ahead or the next cold could have been the one. As a society we need to get back to normal. Tests cost whether they are handed out as free or not. People can't stay at home unless they are physically unable to work or have the luxury of working from home because businesses can't function.

And that shows how poorly most people are able to assess risk. The chances of long Covid really aren't that small. Only a complete moron would rather risk that than be a bit cold for ten minutes. Our education system has failed the population.

I cant affort to isolate at home every time I think I have it.

A colleague felt sick in October, she took a test, it was negative so came to work.

It wasn't until the following morning she tested positive. So she had spread it around the first day. Not her fault the test didnt show it til the second day but still two other colleague who work in the same office as her got it a week or so later.
She simply couldn't afford to take time off for having what she thought was a cold.

So sorry for your loss. Be kind to yourself. Sadly though a chest infection or flu and so on could have have the same outcome. I’m glad you’re not alone today 💐

Why on earth do you think I said 'sometimes it's not possible'?
I am using my brain, thanks. What I am objecting to is something very different to people needing to work while ill. Which you would know if you had actually read my posts.

I'm sorry about your child but we cannot afford it unless taxes go up 50 percent .We are poor we have spent billions and billions on COVID it's still here. The government can't afford to pay for everyone to have sick leave for any illness it's unworkable.

So sorry for your loss OP - I don’t think we’ll ever be ‘normal’ re Covid - I’m fully vaccinated ( thank God) - but still I caught Covid from a nurse at GP - who coughed spluttered and had to sip water throughout consultation - I did question her re whether she should have been in work but she was v blasé and irked by my asking - no wonder my bloody blood pressure was raised 👍🏿☘️