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.

People can’t afford to isolate. If I am off work I won’t get paid for the first three days. I work three days a week so I lose a weeks wages. The government says I can still so to work with Covid.
i have my DS to feed and heat. The cost of living is crippling me without losing a weeks wages. What do I do?
for the record I haven’t had to make this choice yet but dread having to.

@JanusTheFirst - I am so sorry for your loss - and my sympathy for your ds1 - I have long covid too, so I know how difficult it is.

Whilst things are clearly not back to normal, I do think that life is a lot more normal than it was during the worst of covid - but that doesn’t mean covid has gone away or that we can stop being vigilant about it.

I’m terribly sorry for your loss OP.

I hate to bed like this though but I did all the “right” covid things. I masked up for three years including when pregnant and it made it hard to breath. The mask made me vomit. I got vaccinated even while pregnant and it made me horribly ill. I got the other two jabs while breastfeeding. We had our groceries and take out delivered and never went out. Our daughters first year of life we were horribly cooped up and never went out.

Both of her cousins are struggling with socializing because of covid. And I can’t tell yet because of her age but mine might be also. I know it’s a terrible illness and it’s horrible what it does to people… but evenI a heavily liberal person must say… we cannot keep living like this… 😔

It’s not a life. It’s not fair to continue to ask people to put their lives on hold. We did everything we could but it’s time to carry on.

I’m not trying to make it about myself but my family gave up a lot financially, socially and psychologically during a very sensitive time in our lives. And many many others did too. I think it’s a very fair question to wonder when does it all stop? For how long? How many years? What does the end look like and when do we know that we’ve crossed the line into full on oppression for the sake of ill and elderly? While I think that every life matters I don’t think it’s fair to ask everyone to give up their happiness and freedom for something that is not their responsibility and out of their control.

I’m so sorry about what your loved one went through but… people have a right to live their lives. Go out, visit the beach, the movies or the park, meet new friends, fall in love, experience the world without permission and without a laptop or cell phone.

I don't think anyone is calling for lockdown but I do think we should be taking light touch, common sense measures to reduce covid prevalence and help out the NHS.

I.e. testing and mandatory isolation if positive, N95 masks in public spaces, social distancing in hospitality, capacity limits on large events, the rule of six indoors. I do also think short, sharp local lockdowns should be used where the NHS is under pressure, when people should be asked to stay at home.

For me schools are a big issue and we should be introducing masking, distancing and blended learning where necessary.

I know older people die, but they don't need to die unnecessarily!

But at what cost to society should we be prolonging the lives of people who are already elderly? At what cost to our young people, economy, mental well-being?

I’m sorry for your loss. Gently though, what can we do? We can’t live behind closed doors, it’s not a life. My Mum still tests weekly for going to see my Grandparents in their care home - the tests are £10 for 5 in our local pharmacy. Many can’t afford that. Workplaces, schools, even care homes, are no longer insisting on mandatory tests (my Mum chooses to still test). Covid is no longer a reason to access paid sick leave for many businesses, self employed people will lose money in a COL crisis if they stay off work, it’s not cut and dried.

Be was one of th e ones added to it in January 2021 ,I read the letter so I know he was on it ,he had only just been diagnosed though just prior to the pandemic and was getting repeated infections which might have been why?

Sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately I have to disagree, I don't even consider covid and haven't for months. As for it being worse than the flu, I've had both and disagree on that too. The flu that's currently raging is far worse in my opinion.

Will never happen ever again. 1. There's no money 2. Hardly anyone will follow the restrictions/ there could possibly be riots. Our government had a party when there was lockdowns , if the government don't believe in it why should the plebs?

I have said IF POSSIBLE people should stay at home if they are sick. I have said I completely understand if people need to work but, for example, they could rethink going to a party if they are unwell. Or they could keep their sick children home from school IF POSSIBLE (eg if they are a SAHP).

I really don't understand what's so inflammatory about that?

What, do you mean like mutate? Find ways to reinvent themselves so they remain within the community?

My dad died in hospital before Christmas, he was very vunerable and in a 6 bedded ward when another patient tested positive for covid. The covid positive patient was not moved, my dad tested positive 48 hours later and died the next day.
My dad was not moved either when he tested positive. There were four other vunerable patients on that ward, I can't help but wonder if they died too.
We shouldn't be exposing vunerable patients to covid.
My dad was a sick man who may or may not have survived without covid but he shouldn't have been in a bed next to a covid positive patient.

What absolutely staggers me about the past three years is how little we hear of our governments trying to establish where this disease came from. Was it lab made? Was it leaked on purpose? It's almost radio silence and yet it's cost every country untold billions, if not trillions and a devastating loss of life. Our governments are elected to act in our interests, on our behalf. They seem to be totally disinterested in finding the cause/source and demanding answers/reparations. Instead, we are all angry at each other, fighting about who should stay home/lose their income/take the vaccine etc.

Something does not add up here.

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

This post - whilst I understand sprang from a particular circumstance - underlines the disparity between people.

To have the dinner in "someone's own home" with a takeaway or a home-cooked meal for guests is great but excludes:

• those living with parents, in assisted living, student acco or small rooms
• those with young children at home and no help or a difficult partner
• those living in areas that are not easily accessible by public transport
• those whose funds won't stretch to this, (as opposed to a couple of drinks in an easily accessible pub and leave when you want)
• people who'd like to see Fred and Betty - but wouldn't want to invite them into their home.

It comes from the mindset of someone with a nice house in an area where they have plenty of local friends (all with cars), and nice kitchens with space for "entertaining" and the money to pay for a takeaway or cooked meal for everyone.

That was - and still is - the huge gulf in understanding the real difficulties of other people. Not everybody - by a long chalk - has a solid support structure of sick pay, no childcare needs, nice house, network of local friends, supportive partner, close family, own car, secure income.

It's the same with the WFH theory. Great for rich salaried people with home offices or spare bedrooms in heated houses with nice gardens. Shit for people in flat shares with a small, cold room and dodgy wi-fi working from their bed.

I do also think short, sharp local lockdowns should be used where the NHS is under pressure

Restricting basic freedoms is the answer to underfunded public services? Really? No way are they cooping me up again.

Because that's not actually what the op is calling for.
But considering Ofsted still penalise schools with poor attendance you'd have to change the entire culture to make this the norm.
And that includes paying teachers a decent wage and having money for sickpay. They're not even paid adequately at the moment. Again, none of your ideas are based in reality but in lala land.

You don’t thing anyone is calling for lockdowns but you think lockdowns should be implemented where NHS is in trouble.

Was it a heavy night last night?

or perhaps seek seek help for your irrational anxiety.

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

Anyone else laugh reading that? How dare anyone want to do anything outside of their own home. Go to the zoo? Just buy some soft toys and watch a David Attenborough. Swimming? Just fill the bath. Nightclub? Just turn the lights off and turn up Heart FM and have a good dance in the living room. Fuck me, I’m beginning to think this is all one big cover story for agoraphobics.

I.e. testing and mandatory isolation if positive, N95 masks in public spaces, social distancing in hospitality, capacity limits on large events, the rule of six indoors. I do also think short, sharp local lockdowns should be used where the NHS is under pressure, when people should be asked to stay at home.

For me schools are a big issue and we should be introducing masking, distancing and blended learning where necessary.

On what planet are these "light touch"?

I'd not like to contemplate what you think of as not light touch if those are your idea of a light touch. Isn't the economy and education fucked enough already for you?

What do you mean by ‘if possible’. What is excluded from your list of possibilities?

Who decides what is a reasonable reason to go out? You, the government, the hysterical curtain twitching neighbour?

I am sorry about your relative OP.

But elderly people do die of seemingly very minor things all of the time. Yes covid is still out there but so are dozens of other things which can cause serious illness in the elderly.

You need help.

People like you scare me. You're so brainwashed.

What difference would knowing where it came f rom, actually make ?
we know it was first identified in Wuhan,wether it was lab leaked or came from a wet,market or something else I'm not sure the Chinese government would be on board with full investigation,s the focus had to be on finding effective treatment

These kind of batshit people have completely lost the plot. They are totally hysterical. There really is non other word.