Why aren't people social distancing anymore?

Nearly knocked off my feet yesterday by a woman reaching right across me to get something from a shelf. Actual body contact shoving! Why couldn’t she wait a few seconds or get it from the other side (albeit it would still have involved close contact).

Here social distancing is still very much the thing, and has been reinforced within the last two days, due to the rise in cases.

Social distancing is a recommendation only. Wearing a face mask in shops and on public transport is a law. I too can't reason why masks are to be worn in stores yet I can sit in a pub without one. And, as for the lateral flow test being taken as proof, does the Governments not think people will be dishonest using old or someone else's test as proof of being clear. Other countries are really tightening up on socialising, why not us. All the info about the winter strain on NHS is counter to the actions being permitted.

I try and keep my distance and always wear a mask when doing the grocery shopping once a week. I notice that most other shoppers are wearing masks too. However, I do lose my patience with inconsiderate shoppers taking forever to choose a bunch of bananas - must they keep picking bunches up and putting them down? Or blocking shelves with their trolleys so no one else can get to them whilst they are choosing a tin of soup! I do then, just lean past them and get what I want. I do think social distancing isn’t practised in most shops anymore.

I know know you mean about people dawdling MeowWow but they tend to get the "Paddington stare" from me and look a bit sheepish when they find me standing 2m from them and staring intently at them. I don't squeeze past.

In our small-ish Tesco this morning I hung back at the exit for someone just coming in, so that we could stay a reasonable distance apart. Someone tried to push my trolley out of the way so she could get out. As they say in my part of the world, she got tellt.

Because the average age of death in England is between 82-85……… the average age of a supposedly ‘Covid related ‘ death is 79-81.
Time to understand we all have to die of something!

Time to understand how averages work...

People I have spoken to are simply fed up with anything Covid related.

It’s obvious.

The reason why people are not socially distancing is: because it’s not mandatory.

It should in my opinion have been made lawful.
Idiot government thought otherwise.

Greciangirl

It’s obvious.

The reason why people are not socially distancing is: because it’s not mandatory.

It should in my opinion have been made lawful.
Idiot government thought otherwise.

If they had kept social distancing in place hospitality could not function to capacity. That would mean many businesses running just to break even or at a loss

I work in a surgery and our waiting room chairs cannot be 2m apart as we can’t fit everyone in (especially on flu and covid clinic days) and we have to have our doors open and see everyone face to face, so SD had to stop.
Masks are enforced though.

i want to get back to normal. I am treble jabbed so I do not socially distant. Let's get back to normal not the new normal. Remember mental health is as important as Covid.

grandtanteJE65

Here social distancing is still very much the thing, and has been reinforced within the last two days, due to the rise in cases.

Same in all European countries- masks are compulsory, so is gel before entering any shop, restaurant, etc, and so are Covid passes. It has to come from the top - where these rules have remained compulsory, people are sticking to them.

i do not wear a mask for medical reasons, i have epilepsy, the mask over my face makes me panic, brings on a seizure then i drop to the floor so i am very careful about social distancing to the point i ask people to move back, if they don't in a supermarket queue then i put my trolly behind me...lol, some people get narky about it and my reply is, i have a low immune system and i am recovering from cancer..all true, i am always polite and ask with a smile but
sometimes you need to be blunt, i live on my own and don't always have a choice not to go out and please don't say get an online shop, not practical when i only need veg and milk.

Grannylicious

I work in a surgery and our waiting room chairs cannot be 2m apart as we can’t fit everyone in (especially on flu and covid clinic days) and we have to have our doors open and see everyone face to face, so SD had to stop.
Masks are enforced though.

My local surgery asks people to turn up punctually at their appointment time, ring the bell to let them know you're there, then wait outside till you're called in.
Most appointments are not face-to-face so there are not large numbers needing to wait.
On flu & covid days, there is a marshall for the queue.

growstuff

Biscuitmuncher

maytime2 I was in a freezing cold butchers yesterday everyone had masks on and you could see the vapour of everyones breath, masks just makes it look like you are behaving

No! It would be unethical to experiment on real people in an enclosed space.

However, there is enough evidence to show that masks do prevent some droplets being propelled directly into people's faces. The fine droplets which escape from masks do linger in the atmosphere, but at a lower concentration than if people weren't wearing masks and, thus, the viral load is reduced.

Different masks give more or lesser protection depending on the type of material used.

My friend’s 30 year old son triple vaxed has fallen ill with covid because a friend wasn’t showing any symptoms.

I have an annoying cough and was in a local pharmacy who only allow 2 customers at one time. I started to cough and the other customer backed away, he was already well apart. Another customer stood outside despite their being only one in the shop. My local asda had customers staying well apart at the checkout and twice yesterday i was reminded to wear a mask. I had just forgotten and always have one in my pocket.
So up in north east northumberland where we are all savages anyway, seem to be obeying advice.

I can understand if people do not wish to be next to someone for any length of time. However, walking in the road, jumping into ditches just so as not to pass someone for a split second is ludicrous.

Songstress60
Just because you have been triple jabbed does not mean you can not get covid and pass it on to someone else. As for back to normal, as you put it, that is gone forever.

Saggi: 'we all have to die of something' - true, but I'm not ready yet (really enjoy life) so I'd like the (average) extra four years!

VeeScott, spot on - and trotting out the old 'mental health' excuse (again) seems ridiculous. There's no point in having good mental health if you die.

Well maybe there are posters who don't think mental health is important, but trotting out the tactless "normal is gone forever" isn't going to help anyone, is it?

Time to understand we all have to die of something!

I don't know anyone in our age bracket who thinks otherwise.

And I'd rather not die because some selfish individual couldn't be ar**d to cover his mouth before sneezing all over me in the supermarket as he leant over to pick up something from the freezer. Which happened last week - he actually would have pushed me out the way if I hadn't moved slightly.

Why can't we just distance where it's feasible, and - obviously - not do it when it isn't?

... and wear masks in over-crowded, unventilated, areas? Especially on tube trains where you might be standing cheek by jowl with each other.

To be honest, I don't want to be touched or breathed on by a stranger in Sainsbury's anyway. I don't know why that makes me a road walker/ditch jumper/frightened/scared etc
I have just tried to be sensible
My kids are at school/college/uni/work
I'm at work
I don't understand why people aren;t social distancing. I thought it was one of the easiest things to do with people you don't know

I know!! I always hated the way a lot of folks would virtually climb onto my back in any type of queue!! And at the mo. Nobody seems to care less about personal spacing! It was always a thing between guys and gals anyway it's so rude at least to be in someone personal space especially when the intruder Inevitably has B.O./halitosis/unwashed clothes/smelly unwashed hair/stinks of their last chippy tea!!!! Yuk! I keep my distance always it's a courtesy of nothing else!