new covid guidelines: is everyone in a non-live-in relationship still not seeing their partner?

[SenselessUbiquity]

Given that there has been no mention at all of social interaction beyond:
1 - meeting one other person outdoors at a distance of 2m
2- in the relatively far off future, being possibly able to socialise in "bubbles" with one other household thus facilitating childcare etc

basically if you are in a relationship with someone whose household or day to day life you do not share, there is no mention at all of when that will resume.

What does that realistically mean in terms of what people are actually doing?

• following the rules to the letter? for as long as it takes?
• saying "fuck it" and meeting indoors and being physically close anyway, in secret?
• somewhere in between?

Please tell me the truth. I won't tell a soul!

Mixing of households properly is way down the line in the Scottish plan so I can't see it being allowed officially any time soon.

Very depressing if that's the case.

@chickenorfish my fiancé lives 200+ miles away and he moved in for a while a week ago - we too are used to long distance but it was bloody ridiculous . Harder in Wales tho, I do feel for you ( x

My dp lives 5 min down road, he hugged me last week.. he came round when dd was In bed this week and we had a meal n sat opposite to each other on diff sofas! We hugged then he left, it was awkward n lovely at the same time. I want to kiss him so bad but I'm unsure
We've assessed the risks and our circle is small, even where I am in wales people are making up their own minds now, roads are busier than ever! I know 4/5 diff families who are mixing now. It's getting inhumane now and majority of healthy people will recover if infected. BJ wants herd immunity anyway 🙄

Mixing of households properly is way down the line in the Scottish plan so I can't see it being allowed officially any time soon.

Reading the Scottish plan yesterday had me in floods of tears at the thought the rest of the UK might follow a similar plan. How can I be expected to stay 2m away from every other human being for another who knows how many months?

I am having a picnic with my boyfriend this weekend, and will see him next weekend too. We are still thinking that if nothing is announced about seeing people indoors at the next review we will risk assess and make our own decision.

I really think you just have to make your own risk assessments and decisions. There's no way the state is having me kept apart from my partner for months 🤷‍♀️

Same issues here with dp being in Wales and me in England. Both feeling very low with no dates on the horizon as to when we can meet. I think people are indeed going to do their own risk assessments soon (rightly so) if we're not even mentioned in the government plan. No economic gain to relaxing the rules for us I suppose!
We have however decided to get engaged when we can finally see each other, and are planning a weekend away to buy the ring when we can travel and the shops are open. Something at least to look forward to when everything else seems flat without much to look forward to.

No secret.
I've met my partner. And in the biblical sense.
We'd been apart for over 2 months, staying at home and taking precautions.
If we happened to live together we wouldn't be wearing masks or staying 2 m apart.
It made sense to stay away in the beginning, but with shielding, our risk of being infected is less than 2 months ago.

Guidelines are guidelines.
We're both biologists and risk aware. He's been pro masks way before me.

Just meet - nobody is gonna care ! Even the government don’t abide by the lockdown (

Has anyone that has seen their DP Actually had them stay over, get intimate and they leave and go home and come back and visit week after and repeat ??

Yes dollface - I wouldn’t be able to see him and not want to snog his face off. We are very touchy feely generally and one of the main things I’ve missed while we’ve been apart is the hugs and kisses. That’s why FaceTime doesn’t do it for me - it’s not just his sparkling wit that does it for me (although I do love that too)

The last time he came over he actually drove so his car was parked outside, whereas he’s snuck in on his bike the last couple of times. My neighbours will have been used to seeing that car around a lot before all this so they’ll know it was him. But luckily so far (tough wood) nobody seems to care. I’m friends with most of them, and even the ones I don’t know well have still smiled and said hello when they’ve seen me so I assume are not pissed off with me!

Touch wood - not tough!

Well the latest Dominic Cummings scandal surely means lockdown will be relaxed sooner rather than later? How they can expect people not to see partners after what he did

The bottom line is...

As this and other threads show, many people are doing it anyway. The government aren't stupid. They know that people will be doing it.

They're interested in large groups of people meeting from multiple households because they are visible to everyone and it reduces the collective sense of risk.

If I go for a walk in the park with my boyfriend, no one knows whether we have left the same house or met there. The police arent asking to see proof of address from every couple. Lockdown is wishy easy. They knew what the result would be.

If I were to go round to his house and park down the road a bit, only those looking out of their windows, and who saw me, would know!

They can't advertise that you can meet up with a non cohabiting partner because, again, it reduces the collective sense of risk.

Publicly, they are saying no.

Privately, they're turning a blind eye to it.

And, I'd suggest that, if a neighbour did see and report it, the police might turn up and have a word reminding you of our collective civic duty but do I think they'd be fining? No. I really don't think they would.

Not unless you were being indiscreet about it and had been spotted and reported numerous times.

Spoke to a friend today. His FWB is popping round next week. They're both in their mid 60s, both live alone and both been WFH for the duration.

Fucking good for them, I say!

This whole thing is driving me chuffing mad now. I completely appreciate it being a difficult thing to plan the guidelines to keep people safe but my god we need some glimpse of hope before we go mad.
Theres so much information coming through of ideas about holidays, getting a bus, going back to work...what about peoples mental wellbeing etc. A fucking picnic is not gonna cut it much longer.

Either way, as previously said I am seeing my partner. Only concern (after weighing all risk factors obv) is my nosey judgey neighbours

I'm seeing partner now and have been for last 2 weeks. The gov don't care they have set no rules in place for couples separated or living alone. U have to do what is also right for your mental health

After this DC debacle I'm even more inclined to start bending the rules. It's all dependent on if my OH agrees though. I want to work towards seeing him in the next month if he will. It'd be nice if things were relaxed before that so I don't have to fear nosy neighbours.

Found out today my 80+ grandparents have broken lockdown multiple times. Not having raves by any means, but having family and remote hairdressers around. I think this is the fundamental issue they've not addressed. Lockdown is for the greater good, but it's also against our natural human instincts. Whether it's family or partners, people will break it eventually if there's no end in sight. Am I right in thinking some other countries have placed more emphasis on the social side than us?

My ex husband is still seeing his girlfriend. Despite his high risk occupation and our daughters keyworker school attendance. It probably wouldn't rile me so much it he hadn't failed to acknowledge his own 10 year old as he strolled past her arm in arm today.

I live in a tiny village in a cul-de-sac so I too fear my neighbours, they wouldn't say it to my face, but would probably report it!!! Having said that, my lovely elderly next door neighbour seemed surprised I hadn't seen him when she asked me last week, she didn't go as far as saying I should, but she hinted that i should....I think.....or was it wishful thinking?!!!

DP is coming round tomorrow. Can't wait. Only seen each other twice since March, outside my home, practiced social distancing. We won't be social distancing tomorrow. No guidelines on non-resident partners have been forthcoming, and I bet they won't be. I've had enough. 2 months, we've both been self-isolating very well, so roll on tomorrow. Neighbours either side aren't self-isolating they have friends & family round.

I just had a read of the Welsh plan for lockdown release. It says this:

As we move out of lockdown, we will need to ‘ration’ the amount of social contact we each have, and we also need to recognise that social distancing will be most difficult with those we are emotionally closest too – our parents,children, grandchildren and friends.

So non-resident partners are forgotten about.

And the lockdown release stages for social contact are Lockdown, Red, Amber, Green as below:

Seeing family and friends
Stay at home and contact only within households (limited exceptions)

Seeing one person from outside your household to provide or receive care or support whilst maintaining appropriate social distancing.

Taking exercise with one other person or small group whilst maintaining appropriate social distancing.

Meeting one other person or small group to socialise whilst maintaining appropriate social distancing.

There are no time frames given. I am so scared we will end up with the same in England. And it's not just us, it's everyone who has loved ones they don't live with, how can they expect people to remain 2 metres from loved ones right up to the very end of the plan? Why are Scotland and Wales not introducing social bubbles? I assume after green the next step is everything back to normal.

@RichardMarxisinnocent where did you get this info please ? It's very interesting as I'm in wales and I was hoping for some form of bubbles next week at review date
But going by this we got no hope it's guna continue for a long time . They don't care. It's all about money don't worry about people's mental health etc
I'm seeing my dp anyway I didn't for weeks then did 2m thing for weeks now with no end in sight we are both adhering to rest of the rules and are symptom free also so are we just allowed to let our relationship die ? No

Dollface
It's on the wales.gov website:

gov.wales/unlocking-our-society-and-economy-continuing-conversation

It wasn't easy to find - took me quite a lot of googling various phrases to finally find it. It is mentioned in a lot of news websites but oddly they didn't link to it.

Guernsey's plan is much easier to find and has 2 household bubbles in phase 2 (finished 15th May) and an expansion to 4 households from 16th May. Crucially it says that social distancing does not have to be followed for home activities, but does for activities outside the home, which would be fine with me.

covid19.gov.gg/guidance/exit