[Closed] Is anyone else still following Covid advice?

Facebook is toxic and if you delete it you will be happier.
Most people are abiding by the rules otherwise the infection rate would be much worse.
That said I don’t remember to wash my hands as often as I did in March time which is silly.

A lot of the people following (or exceeding Covid advice) are at home and you will rarely see them in a shop and never in a pub.

Yes, many adhering to it all BECAUSE of the type of people you mention op.

We are because my missus is in a high-risk category. Scares me a bit to think the kids will be going back to school soon with loads of kids of people who don't give a shit.

Seconded re Facebook though, my life is better since I deactivated my account.

Pretty much managing to stick to it and be cautious but I do find I'm getting gradually less stringent as time goes on with stuff like hand washing and quarantining the post.

All a bit moot though, as I return to school next week...

TBF plenty of people have no idea what the rules are

My mum was saying today how she was planning to go round to their friends for a 65th birthday party on Monday, with a fair few others of a similar age

When I pointed out that wasn't allowed, she was genuinely surprised saying restrictions had been lifted & schools were opening next week anyway 🙄

I'm in work 3 days a week now & rules are very strict

We are yes. Currently isolating pending test result on our youngest. Pretty sure it's just her normal trick of throwing a temp but you can't be 100% sure.

Yup. I go to outdoor pub gardens, refuse to sit with large groups of friends when I know some are less than diligent and I don’t hug someone I haven’t seen around for a while.
I’m deemed standoffish and weird. So be it.

TBF plenty of people have no idea what the rules are

Ashamed to say I'm in this group. Use gel when see it, wear a mask in shops. Went to a pub for dinner twice since lockdown and it was largely normal.

Haven't been asked to any parties so haven't had that dilemma. What are the rules on gatherings then? School return does make the rules largely futile imho.

Yes still sticking to the rules which we implemented ourselves back in March prior to lockdown. We live in Scotland so our 7year old is back to school and I'm in the high risk/ex shielder category. We have already caught a cold from her which she doubt caught in school so am unsure exactly how this is going to end.

We are because my missus is in a high-risk category. Scares me a bit to think the kids will be going back to school soon with loads of kids of people who don’t give a shit.

I’m in exactly the same boat. Not been out for a meal or to the pub and any journeys other than to and from work have been kept to a minimum.

Yep. Shop visits kept to a minimum, with mask since that (close the stable door after the horse has bolted) rule came in, try to keep 2m from anyone else even though they don’t.
Haven’t been to a pub or restaurant since before lockdown. I live in Bradford district so we’re in local lockdown so haven’t visited my mum since March, nor the in-laws since Christmas. Working from home.
My car is doing [i]a lot[/i] less miles as a result, a tank of dirty diesel is lasting about 6-8 weeks instead of 8-10 days.
Apart from not visiting relatives I could get used to this

On the same vein there are a lot of pubs, restaurants etc doing virtually nothing, and in turn customers just get blasé and slip back into 'normal' behaviour, especially with a bit of booze thrown in.

This is what happens when the gov guidelines are so open to interpretation. The same is going to happen within schools for sure.

In my business staff wear a mask, and did even before it was compulsory for customers to. We just always felt it was necessary, both for safety, and to send the right message to customers so they follow the rules. In general it works although we've had a handful of arsey customers.

I'm adhering to the rules personally but judging by the amount of houses I'm delivering a shop's worth of party food and drinks to lots aren't. Haven't been to a pub or restaurant myself but on driving past a lot of them there is very little social distancing going on. Mask use is also waning in shops here (Wales) so I'd say there's a large part of society that think we're back to normal. Try saying that to the vulnerable people who are still in isolation due to the real fear of getting it.

Ish, I'd say.

I'm not that sociable outside of the children's clubs/school environment so untill those things are up an running again my contact is limited.

I've visited a few friends in the last couple of months, been on one or two bike trips too, not sure what the current restrictions are tbh.

Visited parents a few times, regardless of advice. My step mum is confined to her house and has been for the 3 years or so. Her friends would normally drop by regularly to visit, but that stopped and her only contact would otherwise be her career for 2 hours week.

My mum is also on her own since my step dad is in a care home with dementia. My mum would care for him on a daily basis, but that stopped since lockdown began and he is not doing well. I don't think I will ever see him alive again.

I fear for the mental health of my parents at the moment.

I use a mask if I go the shops, but I find I go less because of the requirement to do so.

Aren't we just using common sense now. Those you see hugging each over in pubs are the ones with little common sense. That's the problem with common sense, not everybody has it.

I culled all my Facebook contacts except close family, partly because I was so sick if seeing so many people I thought had more sense clearly flouting the rules.

We've never gone as far as quarantining post - not sure that was ever "the rules" - and none of us are in the at risk categories. Still regularly handwashing, strict on masks.

We've eaten out where we've seen precautions are in place. Kids have met a couple of friends each in a distanced way. Main rule I've broken is helping my parents by driving them to appointments and to go shopping. Can't stay distanced in a car, we are all happy to run that risk, but kids won't be seeing them after the return to school

Aren’t we just using common sense now.

To an extent, although people who you would think have common sense don’t. Bloke at work decided to go to Spain last week With his family. This was a highly paid intelligent man.

I’ve not been to the pub inside since the restrictions were eased, or joined the local running club this year.

Our lad is back to school in 2 weeks. We won’t be seeing much of the grandparents for a while because of that.

Idiots will be idiots, appears David Icke has more friends at the minute

Our lad is back to school in 2 weeks. We won’t be seeing much of the grandparents for a while because of that.

That is what I would see as great sense but I feel most parents won't be doing the same.

I would have said that most people are following the rules. But it seems that things are slipping as the number of people not using face masks on the train and in shops seemed to increase greatly in the last week.
From the history of pandemics "There has always been a second wave due to the complacency of the population". I guess we will repeat.

Yes! Though to the point it’s almost to my detriment! Only seen my parents and brother together one weekend, all outside. Have popped and had lunch with one friend, and her and her partner came to ours for dinner one evening. Two take aways in 6 months. Otherwise masks all the time, hand washing, WFH, only one of us goes in a shop, etc etc. We are currently away in our van and we are carrying our own toilet to minimise interactions, I stood outside on the ferry to Arran and I general avoid everyone! However I does mean when I am confronted with a situation outside all of this, I panic (including whether to have a 5 min shower in an empty, well ventilated block!).

Reality is p20 is patient facing at work in 10 days time...that is a far greater risk to us. But I just want to do the right thing for others, and protect the people I cross paths with.

I don't think I've seen anyone in a shop not wearing some sort of face covering.

A far as I know, yep.

Visited my mum and sister last month and didn't hug, kept socially distant, even though it sounds like we all got Covid in March (mum through my sister, who went to London and came back with something nasty, but decided to visit mum anyway; me through my better half, who doesn't seem to have got it via work at NHS, but rather on the bus that was fully of coughers just before her nightmare ~5.5 weeks began).

Give how how my better half suffered with pneumonia-like symptoms of really laboured breathing, I worry about all her bloodline relatives that we live close to, including a number of 60-95 year olds.

I leave the house for work, dressing changes on my healing lanced abscess, bit of shopping and cycling. Not much different to pre-Covid, but ventures into public are as brief as I can make them. Next month's proper holiday (ironically in Burnham-On-Covid), first of year after Center Parcs shut all their villages three days before our booking (although by that point better half was already Covid infected), will be quite surreal.

The rules arrived late and weren't strong enough. Since then there have been firm lines of guidance that are ignored by the government (Cummings). The relaxation of the rules came to appease commerce.

It's clear this government is far more interested in the economy than in the health of the population. So even if the rules are logical, why would people trust and respect them?

I'm guilty of seeing more friends and family at the same time than I should no doubt, but largely that has been occasionally, with gaps between and I have few other regular interactions.

Honestly - no, not really. I have a young family (and a heavily pregnant wife), so we're not exactly going out partying or having groups of people over. However, we basically continue our lives as best we can. I can also say that, looking around me, we are not the anomaly, either. I don't feel like the way I behave is that different (or problematic) to the people I do meet, or otherwise encounter in my daily life. I've also been back in the office for the past few months, and some of my colleagues have been on site the entire time.

Current position around here seems to be pretty much business as usual. People milling about in close proximity, a mix of masks and no masks in shops, restaurant and pub tables inside spaced as per normal, ie as many as possible per sqm.

Which is why we're still treating it virtually the same as we did back in June. Online shopping only, working from home, no pubs, no restaurants, kids meeting only with the kids of families who have the same attitude.

Obviously, all bets are off in the next couple of weeks. Community transmission is not low enough around here (or anywhere, frankly) to offset the risks of transmission through schools - kids travel to school here from some areas which have only just come out of local lockdown.

Few weeks' lag and then it's game on as soon as the temperatures start dropping again. The only reason the next spike may be smaller is that it has already run through our care homes and hospitals with no obstacle in its path, so the law of diminishing returns will apply.

So even if the rules are logical, why would people trust and respect them?

Because by following the logical rules and guidelines it may stop my friends and family catching it?

Some people seem to be being contrary just for the sake of it, and far too many others seem to try and use the government's rubbish handling of all this as some sort justification.

Question for those who admit they aren't sure what the rules are at the moment: why don't you look for them then? They're there on the gov.uk website and for once it's actually pretty easy to find the info you want

I read the (regular) updates on gov.uk … it takes ages … only a tiny proportion of the population will be bothering with that. We should still be having the daily briefings, with radio and TV covering it.

Many people are (mostly) following the old, tighter, advice given… rather than work out exactly how the rules have changed… others are doing the opposite, and acting as if the situation is back to normal… I’m not surprised at either response.

I was shocked yesterday, half of Glasgow were up the Cobbler, including a group of 20+, a group of 8 ladies who were trying to push past on the summit cave/scramble, and a couple of blokes who despite half a frikkin' mountain to sit on decided they would sit on the same rocks as us on the way up. Paths are difficult, but I would say on the busy path down (we took different route up) less than half the walkers made any attempt to do the '2m waltz' and just keep a gap.

We then made the mistake of going for chips in Helensburgh, out first 'take out' as a family since February,and discovered that was a huge mistake. The place was hoaching with families, disability scooters, lines of OAP's sitting close by and of course I'd forgotten how narrow the seafront is there. We ended up wearing masks on the street and deliberately parking/sitting up near the sailing club to get away from the crowds.

On both fronts it was like everything was normal. I can cope with things being busy, heck we contributed to that as a family of 5, it was that lack of avoidance, masks and seeming awareness that got me - and the huge groups on the hill.

It’s clear this government is far more interested in the economy than in the health of the population.

Trouble is that you cannot uncouple the two absolutely. eg: A cold winter and fuel poverty causes ca 10K excess deaths per year. Increase poverty because the economy has crashed and that number will rise. Same with poverty = poor diet = long term health issues and so on.

I'm not saying we should let the virus run riot, there is a balance to be found. I don't know what that balance is and I'm glad I don't have to. I don't trust the bunch in charge to either though.

It works both ways… not controlling the virus has an economic effect.

also true. It's a balancing act.

I am still attempting to follow advice at least in the spirit of the guidance

Matt, I'd say you probably over reacted, you were outside and not in contact with most of those people for more than few seconds (maybe apart from when you went for chips), same with people isolating the post and shopping, it was never necessary.

Main transmission has always been airborne through close proximity to someone for 15 mins or so. This is how it is generally transmitting at the moment, through family groups who are meeting up and totally ignoring the rules, people packed into pubs and out leisure shopping. It's going to get a lot worse with the kids back, that's a lot of extra people (adults and students included) who will suddenly be having a lot of high risk activity, lots of mingling, inside for extended periods. A bit of hand gel and mask wearing isn't going to help a lot ( I'm not advocating you stop, it's still worth it to remind us everyday covid is still here).

also bear in mind the community prevalence is in the region of 1/1000 to 1/10,000 order of magnitude according to which estimate you read. There's actually a relatively small chance that anyone you saw yesterday is carrying and doesn't know. Multiply by chance of transmission.....

Again, not saying we should just forget it and run riot; absolutely not.

same with people isolating the post and shopping, it was never necessary

We’re still doing it.

Question for those who admit they aren’t sure what the rules are at the moment: why don’t you look for them then?

In short, because I don't trust the rulemakers and would rather guage my own risks.

I consider myself to be a pretty sensible person and I think I've got a fair handle on the risks of various activities to me and my family of catching it and suffering with it.

Edit to add, this works both ways. At the start I was more cautious than the guidance required because I suspected they were too slow on this.

Don't go shopping or anything. Break the 2m rules when exercising today but not facing each other. Tend to meet people outside even though going inside is aloud. We do have a out of rules bubble with my parents and my partners mum but both have very very little interaction outside us.

We definitely break the rules but exceed the rules in other areas so on balance I think our overall risk profile is good

Yes - and will be stepping up shielding from next week ready for the next wave. I am carer for my wife who has health problems.
Our doctors still does not know when it will be able to give the winter flu jab so booked it at Boots (?) for next month.
All shopping is done early morning because the town is packed with trippers and holiday makers and they all know that social distancing does not apply when you are on holiday.
Not eaten out since March.
Gym cancelled although beginning to waiver on that.
Still plenty of bike riding. One of the big bonuses of lockdown was it forced me to explore my local area and a it turned out to have some very great places for off road riding without using NR2.
Managed to link up the interesting bits and now got a 50km circuit using road, track, green lanes, country lanes, gravel and cheeky footpaths.
Hardly ever see anyone except at week ends so avoid them.
Garden is looking good but still not dug that pond.

Matt, I’d say you probably over reacted, you were outside and not in contact with most of those people for more than few seconds

I thinl you're right.

However, why was there a group of 20+ (see left of my picture, that line of people on the edge, plus more) up a hill.
In town it was more how close folk were sitting together with strangers to have ice cream / chips / sunbathe.

But I agree, we've been away from crowds for 5 months, ergo it was odd.

When the rules/advice are blatantly stupid, or arbitrary, why would you not break them?

Two examples..

The local council put up a marquee with local beer, ice-cream, pizza, etc. You need to book a two hour slot for a table, but there are picnic blankets available until 8pm. The council wouldn’t allow blankets after 8. Can anyone suggest a Covid related reason for this?

A one way system around the local pub meant that rather than walking straight through an open door, passing nobody, I had to walk past every other occupant of the pub to get to the official exit.

It’s very noticeable that those of us who have been on site in work for a length of time have a very different view of ‘the rules’ than the home workers.

Pretty much. Maybe slipped back a bit on the handwashing and this thread has been a good reminder.

Most locals are still abiding by the laws, maybe flaunting some of the guidance (in particular the 8 folk from 3 households bit). It's noticeable that lots of tourists are being less stringent.

Bloke at work decided to go to Spain last week With his family. This was a highly paid intelligent man.

Don't really see a problem with this. It depends on where and how you go. If they're clubbing in Malaga every night then probably not a good idea, whereas if they drive there and went hill walking in a remote area, bugger all chance of catching it.

We've just come back from cycling in the Pyrenees, staying with friends in a tiny village and kept ourselves to ourselves, probably less likely to catch it there than being at home in a city.

TBF plenty of people have no idea what the rules are

I've got to admit this is me, but seeing as how I dislike pubs, parties and shopping I expect I'm doing ok. Not really sure what tye "rules" are for group bike rides but I havent ridden with more than 3 or 4 people since March or whatever.