Is it just me?

I agree with you MawB , there was a sense of oneness at the start, but now, we’ve reverted back to the kind of division that there always has been. I guess you just can’t get away from that. Personally, I generally find that I don’t enjoy doing what the masses do and if going out, I go to quiet places. If I’m honest, I feel I’ve been ‘ousted out’ of those, the past few weeks, as the crowds elsewhere are being controlled....and now they too descend on my ‘quiet places’. I can’t seem to easily find anywhere to go and don’t want to be with crowds for two reasons now...I hate it anyway...and it’s too much of a risk at the moment.

Gosh Maw I could have written your post. I feel exactly like that. My family are 200 miles away so I won’t be seeing them anytime soon. I was widowed 6 months ago and was just starting to go out a little before lockdown. I’m lucky I live in a lovely part of the world and have a garden and if I’m honest I have not found lockdown hard. Somehow it lifted all the pressures when everyone was in the same boat. Now I suddenly find myself tearful and lonely. It’s not rational - my youngest facetimes me every day and a dear friend does the same. My neighbours have been lovely but it’s just how I feel.
I’m in Wales where our rules are different and there is a strict rule that people from other countries should not visit their
holiday homes. Yesterday my neighbours arrived en masse
They live near Manchester but seem totally unaware of the rule. They don’t seem to think it applies to them! Rant over!

Hello fuseta - I'm a retired primary school teacher and I'm so glad I don't have to go into school and deal with all this ...

Over the last 11 weeks we have only gone out:
to exercise (just for an hour and usually late afternoon or early evening when it's quieter);
to shop for food (once a week for ourselves and my 92 year old mother - we gave up on trying to find a delivery slot online);
and to collect medication from a local pharmacy.
Last week we tried to go to our local plant nursery, but it was so busy that we turned round and came home again. Apart from one short garden visit from my daughter on my birthday, we have had no visitors.
Over a hundred people died from this virus just yesterday. The images on the TV of people crowded on to beaches, parks and beauty spots fills me with dread - no, thank you! I think we will be staying in as much as possible for some time yet.

From next week I have to pick my GS up from school as DD and SIL have to go back to work. I am a bit worried but having seen photos of the new layout, it doesn't seem any worse than a spermarket, as the school gates are closed and parents/carers are not allowed into the school grounds. children are allowed through the gate one at a time and there are markers for parents to stand in a queue 2 meters apart outside those gates. We will walk back from the school and go straight into the garden. If GS needs anything he can go inside. I will be wearing my mask at all times. It is not ideal but it is the best that we can come up with under the circumstances. Apart from supermarket visits, this will be my first step back into the outside world. I must point out that the schools are opening, but the breakfast clubs and after school clubs, which are very important to working parents are not open and so I would rather look after my GS whilst keeping my distance, than finding a new childminder who he doesn't know and putting him in someones house where there are several children who are probably not keeping their distance, so life has to slowly start to open up again, although personally I wish they had kept the schools clsed until September.

Perhaps if there was less giving mates lucrative government contracts & actually working with the rest of the world on systems that work we would have a coherent working plan.
A lower death rate & a degree of public confidence
Instead of the headless chicken approach we have now

I feel the same .I am not “ lifting “ my lockdown any time soon apart from seeing my son and we have both side we be social distancing

I think things are worse because of how poorly the government disseminate guidance and seem unable to grasp the basics.
How can we have gone from a level 4 risk to a level 1 in 2 weeks?
Cases are rising at a higher rate than rest of Europe.
We are told by Boris the trace track system is the best in the world
But reports are it’s not working, poor training, and won’t be ready at the earliest end of June
The government are changing figures, avoiding what’s happening in the rest of world
We seem to get a story in the papers to test public response & gov then do a statement adapted to pander to public opinion.
I really feel it’s like a free for all , people can’t trust the government so councils, schools, nhs are having to muddle through instead of working as a team

The virus has not gone away. Some people are thinking it has because of the governments mixed messages. Make no mistake there will be a second wave. It is all about the economy at the moment. I will remain doing what I have been doing for the past 3 months, staying safe. You are not alone . There are sensible people out there doing what is right. It is just a shame that some are not taking it seriously and I blame the government for that.

MawB and Cabbie21 I agree with you both. I also live near to beaches and was hoping to get out a bit once the 12 weeks are up but seeing the huge amount of traffic around and the Tv reports about beaches I have had a change of mind. I'm quite happy staying in alone and doing my crafts even if I will have to wait longer to see my grandchildren. They will still be around in a few months time and I want to make sure I am too.

I get what you say Maw B, and have feel similar. Lockdown as a shielded individual living alone has had its upside. I have most of the time felt peaceful and part of a collective effort to stay safe. Both my children live at opposite ends of the country and cannot visit all the time anyway. Thank goodness for modern technology.
I have decided to make my own cautious way into the outside world and be very careful while doing so. Even in shielded lockdown I had to walk up to the doctors surgery to have blood taken pre a telephone clinic, so have walked up to drop off my repeat prescription requests. I hope for a vaccine as soon as it is possible, It's hard to be left behind as others can emerge further. Sympathies and empathies Maw B

I have the same feelings MawB. I am mostly housebound anyway so it was a strange feeling when everyone else was too. I didn’t feel like I was missing out at all.

My sister and brother in law are visiting later to sit in the garden with us. I am a little nervous After all this time but as long as we social distance There shouldn’t be an issue. Lovely to see talk to someone in ‘real life’ ( apart from my husband ).

I agree. We will not be doing or going anywhere until we can see that there isn't a second wave. I have managed to go to the supermarket for us and my parents and that will continue to be the only outing I get. We are in our early 50's but my parents are mid to late 70's and it would really destroy me to know that I brought covid into their home by not being careful.

It is a really apprehensive time for us all - except those who don't seem to have registered that there have been over 30,000 deaths... However, at some point we must screw up the courage and go out, or else live half a life indoors, cut off from everything and everyone. As we start to do this there will be those who brace themselves and go, and those who feel it is too soon and will wait and see. That's perfectly natural I would have thought - with any decision in life, be it starting a relationship, or even buying a new sofa, some will hesitate and others won't. We who are retired have the luxury of being able to wait. Those whose jobs are at risk if they don't step up and help the economy must be suffering if they are nervous now. I do feel for them - and worry about my AC who are going to have to go to work in the very near future, but what is the alternative? We are told the virus will be with us for a very long time, so do we sit and watch the economy implode, and then starve? I wish I had some clever answers.

Living with DH who has Parkinson’s and dementia I ache for general conversation and chat, so having a cup of tea in our next door neighbour’s garden, properly distanced, was a life line. I miss my normal life which may never gets return; DH has now got so used to my constant presence that I fear it may be impossible to get out on my own, and finding suitable support is hard at the best of times and impossible now.

But I don’t expect to feel safe on public transport or in our local town for a long time. Like most posters, I think the rate of new infections is far too high for it to be safe to relax precautions, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that too many people are far from sensiblele.

Thank you to all for your helpful words- I'm glad to know my feelings are so much like others.

I did go to a daughter on Saturday while GS was happily playing in the hot tub, then there were no problems with cuddles. This pm we are venturing to other daughter's and see my 4 year old GD, but she is under the impression we all have bugs so think she will stay away from us. Apart from that (and walking the dog) I shall be staying in for the foreseeable future

I agree I live alone my next door neighbour is self isolating..we are in a way keeping each other going we talk over the fence, but I too am missing company especially being able to touch. I long for a cuddle.
I have not biked for years and had a bike in the garage ( I don't drive) luckily I had the sense to get the biked checked out the week before lockdown and it has turned out to be my rock I don't think I would manage without it with having lympdeama in my foot, I find it hard to walk long distances.
Out on the bike these last few weeks with not many cars has been fine but this last couple drivers seem to be driving so fast the other morning one over took me and I was coming up to a roundabout a car was going round it already and I thought he is going to go into the side of it. Bikes riding on footpaths and not getting out of the way of pedestrians. Manners and all common sense seems to have gone out of the window.
Yesterday I was in town and I was coming out of a shop (food) and I asked a man to step back to let me out and he just said NO I asked him twice before the girl in the shop came and told him, as I left I told him he wasn't giving me 2 metres I heard the girl still telling him when I left.
I thought if there is only these few people around and they can't get it there is no hope when every one else is let loose...and as for standing on the tape line no hope.Brains seem to have gone out of the window.
My friend is already saying things are opening up and yes I want to go out for a drive ( but I can't not in her car) I want company, my family live miles away, but I am not going to take any risks. I am pleased that people are being able to meet up again but they need to act sensibly and to the rules.
When I see all these photos and the news I think it is not over people are too close don't they realise we still have no cure and no way of knowing where it could next peak.
I will just stick to my needed food shop and occasional evening short bike ride, and be careful.

To follow on, yesterday received a FB posting from an NHS worker. Thus read: We are all fed up and tired of this virus. The virus is though not tired and never will be. We need to remember that and do what we feel will protect us and those dear to us.

I’m not going to any social gatherings I am seeing daughters and their babies and some relatives forced themselves on us yesterday just for a coffee in the garden but stayed over 2 hours? my family understand with the babies we don’t want to take any risks so will stick to that for now.
TBH I’m quite content chatting in a queue and weekly FaceTime quiz and don’t need friends or wider family calling in and all the extra work involved with cleaning and bleaching everything!

I agree that people must make their own risk assessments but they should still consider others. Even if they don't have the virus they can still be carriers and I don't want to be standing next to them. Of course there are some people who have ignored the advice right from day one - I thought they were foolish, now I just think they are ignorant.

Is the past few months of life with Covid worse than life during 39-45..

I am not going anywhere. I feel safe at home. As my daughter said this morning...you may do everything right but others don't. So I will stay hone other than collecting my cluck and collect order.

As I have a blood condition I have been staying home, I walk my dog and as I live in a village it is very quiet and easy to avoid people. I will not be going out until I feel it is safer, at the moment I think it is all too soon.

The biggest problem I see is that parts of the country are still high risk. It seems as if the South of England is over the worst whereas the North of England and Scotland are still in the danger zone. I also cannot understand letting 4-6 year olds back to school where there is no way they can social distance nor would we want them to. They may be less likely to be seriously ill from Corvid 19 BUT they are like little carrier pigeons spreading all sorts so could be puting all teaching staff, cleaners etc in danger. There is always an increase in various germs and viruses at the start term with snotty noses, coughs and colds which staff usually end up with too. Apart from all the above little ones need someone to take them to school so parents will have to stand 2m away from each other and I know a great many children are taken and picked up by grandparents but they also have to be 2m away with no hugs etc. Let common sense prevail. It is only 3 or so months out of our lives but at least we may have a life at the end of it all. I could go on and on but rant over.