Sunday 9th March 2025 is Covid Day of Reflection.

No thank you, I have no desire to reflect on a traumatic time, which has contributed to the physical deterioration of my health.
This thread has resurrected memories, I had buried.

Average age of death was 82 I believe.

Had this happened pre-Internet we'd have not reacted this way. There would have been news reports, newspaper articles informing us of a contagious virus that was most fatal to older folk and no doubt we'd have been told to try to shield that age group.

Looking back it was a disaster what happened to school age children. My 2 grandsons were 11 and 10 when it started. The eldest has been having problems, not wanting to go to school, he's struggling with anxiety and many children his age are having similar issues. Lockdowns are possibly the cause

Hopefully we'll learn from this if we ever have to deal with a similar virus

Once it was admitted that a large number of the ‘covid’ deaths actually involved people who died with covid and not from it, it put the situation in perspective.

With the benefit of hindsight there certainly were some nonsensical rules, but what was the government meant to do? Virtually every country imposed some sort of lockdown so just imagine if Boris had followed his instinct for personal freedom.
There would have been hell to pay once the death toll started to rise, even though as I have said the figures didn’t tell the whole story.

However Sweden didn’t impose any restrictions other than asking people to take sensible precautions and despite that the country fared pretty well.

What I remember were dog walkers on deserted moors being threatened by the police even though they were not putting themselves or anyone else at risk.

Then there were neighbours standing outside clapping, banging on saucepans and looking up and down the road to see if anyone wasn’t out doing the same.

Let’s hope then that if there is another pandemic, lessons will have been learnt that in the long term, lockdowns do more harm than good.

Rula

Average age of death was 82 I believe.

Had this happened pre-Internet we'd have not reacted this way. There would have been news reports, newspaper articles informing us of a contagious virus that was most fatal to older folk and no doubt we'd have been told to try to shield that age group.

Looking back it was a disaster what happened to school age children. My 2 grandsons were 11 and 10 when it started. The eldest has been having problems, not wanting to go to school, he's struggling with anxiety and many children his age are having similar issues. Lockdowns are possibly the cause

Hopefully we'll learn from this if we ever have to deal with a similar virus

But people didn’t know the average age was 82 until thousands of people had died. My friend of mine was sent to a nursing home after a fall and she died. A nurse in the next village died. She wasn’t 80. People are still suffering from long covid but they are being ignored. It hasn’t gone away. Another friend of mine has just had it for a second time and said he felt incredibly ill.

Oh I know all about it. My brother in law was in hospital due to a kidney issue when it all started. He contracted covid and died. He was 57. Friend of mine, early 60s, dreadfully ill in hospital with it. She survived but has lung scarring which has caused breathing issues and she still ends up in hospital when it flares up.

I was making the point that had we not had the Internet then we wouldn't have reacted in the same way .

The use of ventilators wasn't the way to treat this but at the time it was obviously the right way of treatment. This was only discovered months later.

But there has been a huge impact on so many areas of life post lockdowns. Which weren't all necessary.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing

The Richard Craniums in charge of my state kept us isolated for 2 years, yes, 2 years. Untold harm to youngsters and businesses and we are now paying the price.

A night tossing and turning about this. Maybe it's the good weather that's triggering memories.

Some of it does seem almost laughable now. People with a dirty mask dangling round their chins for example. But it was frightening and ruined my elderly relatives' last years.

As for the PM and his so called Churchillian moment.In some ways it was the beginning of the end.

I reflect on Covid all the time, because my DH of almost 50 years died from it (not with it) at the beginning of 2021. We assume we caught it when we visited the opticians during one of the times we weren’t locked down. Couldn’t wear masks and the ophthalmologist wasn’t wearing one either. We assumed we had colds as we had none of the symptoms the NHS was warning of, so couldn’t get tested. At the time vaccination was only available to the over 80s. My DH was 77 and I was 73.
Looking back on the whole experience, it was just a nightmare which feels as real now as it did then.

Marydoll

No thank you, I have no desire to reflect on a traumatic time, which has contributed to the physical deterioration of my health.
This thread has resurrected memories, I had buried.

We should be careful what we read and expose ourselves to.

In my case, I should have known better.

glasshalffullagain

Marydoll

No thank you, I have no desire to reflect on a traumatic time, which has contributed to the physical deterioration of my health.
This thread has resurrected memories, I had buried.

We should be careful what we read and expose ourselves to.

In my case, I should have known better.

I do like your name, my persona too. However, it is not easy at times!
Someone actually said that about me yesterday.

Once it was admitted that a large number of the ‘covid’ deaths actually involved people who died with covid and not from it, it put the situation in perspective

Exactly this JenniferEccles.
Bit like saying red cardigans were a danger as those dying were wearing one. It was wrong and scaremongering to report deaths as they did. Matt Hancock wanted to ramp up the fear (he admitted so, much later, saying it was necessary for compliance) and it was done callously to justify the draconian measures.

Remember Drakeford in Wales ordering the taping off of toy aisles in supermarkets? And Sturgeon contemplating the sawing off of 3” of classroom doors ‘to facilitate air flow’?

Madness on steroids.
I could cry now thinking how we were coerced into bizarre group think.

Why on earth we weren’t allowed out into the fresh air beggars bluddy belief. I don’t even mean in ‘close proximity’ but come on - a walk to blow away the cobwebs and fill our lungs with oxygen. Some scientists who (in the end were proved right, Great Barrington) were vilified as ‘Covid deniers’ and ‘granny killers’. Hysteria reigned and epidemiologists at the top of their game were discounted because it didn’t fit the narrative.
“Save the NHS”. Pah! Errant and foolish nonsense. “Flattening the Curve”. Nope. Special testing and proof to prove travel abroad was permitted at £50 a pop? Someone was making an awful lot of money out of that particular edict.

I don't think we were ever told not to go outside and breathe the fresh air- in fact I remember being encouraged to do so. I had lots of meet-ups with people in parks and local woodland.

I started to take precautions before the lockdown, 2/3 weeks previously I had bought masks, sanitiser etc.
I was terrified and would have done anything to keep my loved ones safe.

However as time went on the fear lapsed and I realised the stupidity of it all.
The day Boris allowed a premier league football match at Wembley to take place with a crowd was the day I refused to wear a mask.

Our daughter was pregnant during Covid, the midwifery team had the temerity to call her before her planned section and ask if she or her husband had been overseas and if they had received any overseas guests in their home in the past month.
She said no to all of the above and then asked if she could have the same information for the medics that would be present during the procedure.

The midwife told her that was a ridiculous demand!

GrannyGravy13

Our neighbours on one side work for NHS, a senior nurse and a clinical nurse manager.

Their house was party central throughout all lockdowns.

We have two lockdown GC babies, along with GC who were let down with online learning.

I will never let any government dictate who, when or how many people can access my home.

I was classified as vulnerable, my lungs, my life, my choice.

Party Central. Beggars belief doesn’t it GG13?
Add in Matt Hancock snogging his mistress in a lift, Dominic Cummins going to ‘get his eyes tested’ at Castle Howard, that SNP woman who tested positive for Covid getting a train back up to Scotland from Westminster, Professor Neil Ferguson on the motorway to see his dad miles away days after telling the government that his modelling (never accurate at the best of times so WHY did they give him any credence?) showed that there ‘would be 500,000 deaths’ without lockdown.

It’s as though they didn’t believe their own BS given to the rest of us.
Strange that when you think about it more deeply.
They Weren’t Frightened.
Just us.

The unholy rush to evict infected elderly patients from hospital wards and into the care homes without testing is a disgraceful episode that, as usual, nobody in authority will be held to account for.

The care home I came to know, temporarily, had been strong-armed by the local authority to take patients in or (it was clumsily implied) there would be no more council contracts. And I had that from the horses mouth, the Matron‐Manager.

keepingquiet

I don't think we were ever told not to go outside and breathe the fresh air- in fact I remember being encouraged to do so. I had lots of meet-ups with people in parks and local woodland.

We were in Málaga. Lockdown worse than here. The airport was closed. We endured SEVEN WEEKS of not being allowed out of our tiny apartment. Little families too, with toddlers, all cooped up. We weren’t even allowed to walk in the gardens! Police were out in force on the road outside, checking ID cards. Only one person per household was allowed to the supermarket. Himself used to come home loaded for bear as he did out 80+ year old neighbour’s shopping because she was too frightened to go into the MaxiDia.

After 7 weeks the Andalusian government allowed us to leave our homes. But different age groups had different time zones. Seniors were allocated 10-11am and an hour at teatime. Little children could go out only one at a time with one adult.

That first Sunday I looked out of my front door, six floors up, and became emotional watching small children being allowed out for a walk - their first one in seven weeks. I kid you not.
I cried.
It was awful.

Why on earth we weren’t allowed out into the fresh air beggars bluddy belief

We were never ‘not allowed out’ into the fresh air.

Limited to an hour’s walk or similar at one time, though who knew how long we were out I’m not sure.

That’s when many people acquired a dog, it gave them an excuse to get out, and we are still reaping the results of that, as many then found out owning a dog was definitely for life, and not just for Covid.

We are fortunate to have a pleasant garden, and could spend hours in it away from others. As I recall, it was a lovely warm spring which helped.

Read my post above yours Calendargirl.
I know of what I speak.

Only just read your last post FGT.

But you were in Spain, not here.

Different country, different rules.

When the restrictions were eased allowing us out, some of the Spanish rented out their little dogs to neighbours so they could exercise a dog (basically getting more time out of the building).
This too is true.
It was MUCH harsher than the UK and that was daft enough at times.

I assumed (wrongly) that we were talking about the UK.

My DD, who lives in Australia, had different rules to us.

They limited travel there for quite a while after the pandemic.

Same Covid though.
I’m just illustrating on here the madness we suffered collectively during this time.
It is relevant to my OP.

For those struggling with this topic (and I can appreciate very much the tragedies that resulted directly from this time) please swerve my thread.

It will not be good for your mental health and for that alone I am very sorry.

But to never re-visit it?
Put our collective heads in the sand?

No thank you.
This must never be allowed to happen again. Lockdown did more damage than the virus. It makes me angry to look back and yes, I’m venting. I admit it. I’m finding it cathartic to howl (inwardly) about it. It was all so horrible.

I wonder what the history books will say, in the future?

Oh yes, the sainted Jacinda Ardern in NZ. A piece of work wasn’t she?

I really don't want to be reminded of the worst years of my life. I lost five members of my family.
Yes I used to clean food packets with anti viral wipes after delivery. I moved heaven and earth to try and keep DH safe as he was vulnerable due to chemotherapy.

My very fit 88 year old wonderful Dad caught COVID in March 20 when so little was known about it.
We were not allowed to visit him in hospital. He died four days later, a young nurse, God bless her, holding his hand. . He was a well-known and popular gentleman and there would have been many wanting to pay last respects but only 4 of us were permitted at his funeral in Glasgow.
My sister's friend wrote his name on the wall in London. It was such a sad time.