So what would you do? In T3, live <1 mile from border with T2 area

[bathsh3ba]

By a geographical misfortune, my village is in Tier 3 but we live less than a mile from the border with a T2 area. My kids go to school in the T2 area. I teach and study at a university in the T2 area. My ward rates are very slightly above average for England but in line with the T2 areas.

Am I really expected to only travel into T2 for work/school and not use any of the shops (or hospitality) there? I would normally do my food shopping, my Christmas shopping, everything pretty much in the T2 town. We are in the T2 town travel to work area. My bank is there. Most of my and my children's friends are there.

Surely it is more risk to us to travel to the next T3 city, which is further away and high rates (in next county too) than it is to go to the T2 city. So we are being expected to put ourselves at risk or stay locked down in our village and get deliveries basically.

I'm not planning on mass gatherings or parties. We have followed the rules so far. I just want to be able to shop where I usually do and for my kids to be able to go for a hot chocolate in a cafe or to the cinema with one or two school friends.

Feeling so dejected and just like giving up frankly. Life like this doesn't feel worth living and I had to chuck my old medication away last night as I was tempted to OD just for the oblivion.

If that's where you normally shop then I would continue to do so.

Stick to your usual place. I'm in tier 3, rates very low here but clumped in with GM, I'm going to a pub in tier 2 for my boyfriend's birthday. Beyond giving a shit anymore.

I don’t have an opinion / probably would still use the Tier 2 shops etc with masks on but for the record your kids can’t meet up inside with members of other households even in Tier 2 (so no cinema).

I would also talk to your GP to discuss your suicidal thoughts, OP

Continue as you would. A lot of the geography is arbitrary. It’s not like shops are demanding proof of address before they let you tap your card on the contactless machine. Just go on with life as much as you can

Speak you your GP and got get a hot chocolate your your kids

Your kids can’t meet friends in a cafe or cinema in a tier 2 area either so it makes no difference for that.

Send your kids out to play with flasks of hot chocolate instead, and get Netflix and a duvet but shop where you usually would at a quiet time.

I agree with seeing the GP. My area has also gone into tier 3 because it’s near a hotspot and I’ve found it more upsetting than I was expecting.

Just go to your normal shops, many more will, people are not going to travel miles to go shopping when there is one down the road, well maybe some Mumsnetters would but not in the real world

I know the kids can't mix indoors in T2 (except in school) but at least they could walk with their friends into town and mooch round the shops keeping 2m apart, or sit outside on a heated patio area or sit apart in the cinema but share enjoying the same film. Better than school/work, eat, sleep, repeat...

@bathsh3ba

I know the kids can't mix indoors in T2 (except in school) but at least they could walk with their friends into town and mooch round the shops keeping 2m apart, or sit outside on a heated patio area or sit apart in the cinema but share enjoying the same film. Better than school/work, eat, sleep, repeat...

They can still meet up with friends in parks or go for walks with them.

The rule of 'don't be a dick' applies and its fine. Follow your normal routine as whilst you live in T3 your social contact is all T2. Its not taking the piss to do all your essential jobs in T2. Adjusting your life to go to shops further away and in a more difficult location is not viable nor realistic.

Your kids shouldn't be meeting indoors even in T2. T3 allows them to meet outside still anyway.

It shouldn't make a blind bit of difference to you in practical terms whether you are T2 or T3 really. The only real difference is being able to meet people in your garden for most people. Unless you have a business which is prohibited from opening or you have plans to attend an event/holiday there's not a great deal of difference between T2 or T3.

No one will care - just carry on as you are, OP. Honestly. Don’t take the piss, continue with the usual precautions, but don’t change your shopping habits or stop your DC mooching with their friends. It is vastly unlikely anyone will challenge you.

Follow your normal routine within your community, I would say. We're in Tier 3 now joy but a smallish seaside town near us is evenly divided between the two tiers. I don't think anyone seriously expects people there to not venture from one side of the high street to the other. On the other hand driving forty minutes solely to eat out say is probably pulling the piss if honestly tempting

We’re Tier 3 but our closest town where we do our shopping is Tier 2 so we’ve continued to do so. Where we live has had very few cases.

Just break the rules for goodness sake don't end your life over this. I already know a man who committed suicide and it's devastated his family and the whole community. Please take control of your mental health and dont even consider taking an OD. You would destroy people's lives.

Hello OP, we are really sorry to hear you are feeling this way.

We hope you don't mind, but when these threads are flagged up to us we usually add a link to our Mental Health resources. You can also go to the Samaritans website or email them on [email protected]. Support from other Mumsnetters is great and we really hope you will be able to take some comfort from your fellow posters, but as other MNers will tell you, it's really a good idea to seek RL help and support as well.

We also like to remind everyone that, although we're awed daily by the astonishing support our members give each other through life's trickier twists and turns, we'd always caution anyone never to give more of themselves to another poster, emotionally or financially, than they can afford to spare.

We are going to move this thread to the Mental Health section shortly.