Visiting indoors (or not!)?

I agree with your last sentence especially NotTooOld. We have decided to take precautions to ensure we get our lives back when it safe to do so. Whenever that is, our lives can be picked up where we left off but meantime, we are taking the safest options for us, to make it through.

In a lockdown area here. We are not allowed to visit anyone in their homes, nor have anyone in ours. We can’t meet up with anyone indoors or go for a walk outdoors with others, but we can meet someone from another household (not illegal but not advisable) in a pub or cafe garden, but not in our own garden. The ‘bubble’ thing is almost over-ruled here - I’m in DD1’s in case of emergency childcare and DD2 is disabled, so I need to be on hand to help her - both live 20 miles away, so not too bad.

Hi, I live alone, am aged 65 and have recently given up the work I was doing (two days a week) back in September as I could see the infections start to rise rapidly again.
I don't visit family indoors; only see GC if it can be outside, like a park etc.
I miss hugging my GC; going out dancing, seeing my friends, sometimes going on a date!; going abroad on holiday (which I wouldn't do even if I could afford to currently), but I do feel and hope that by next Summer we should have progressed through these times and things will be better. Just a case of hanging in there!

Thank you LauraNorder. I always feel anything that can be done is better than doing nothing, especially this winter. In my head, there is always a solution?‍♀️
GDs are quite excited about it. ?

We’re out to lunch with DS, DD and 2 DGC tomorrow, first time together since Christmas. Back to our garden for hot chocolate, chiminea and blankets, probably the last time for a good while. We are in a low risk area, but numbers rising.

LindyB, I think you are right to be cautious. Indoor visits involve more risks.

In Sweden, people often meet outside for a walk and/or coffee, year round - regardless of how cold it is. They know how to wrap up properly!

We are seeing family indoors, infrequently, keeping a distance and not for long. However this applies while we are still in a low infection area. I don't know how long this will last.

I’m sticking to the bubble theory. I have one son and family in Sydney that I have no prospect of Seeing so I bubble with other son and family 80 miles away, I stay over. They’re careful and I am too and it’s my calculated risk until and unless we go back to lockdown. We are all mask wearers out in public. They are two of the very few parents who wear a mask to collect kids from school. I don’t believe the contact with door handles and chairs etc is an issue by the way.

We see both DSs and families separately in doors, but sticking to the 6 rule. No hugging or kissing.
We have no underlying health issues and thus feel this is a safe way of seeing them.
One lot did test positive after a visit. We isolated for 14 days and didn’t get Covid. I don’t think there’s much rhyme or reason to this virus.

I’d definitely meet up with our family in their houses if we were allowed, but not with others. We’re balancing what we need to do to keep sane with what we need to do to keep safe. So we’re taking small risks that we feel we need to, going out for the odd restaurant/pub meal and seeing those we love regularly, but not hugging or getting too close. We’re still avoiding supermarkets and crowded places because we just don’t need to take those risks. As it is in this area we can’t go into anyone’s house unless it’s for essential childcare, so we’re restricted to walks and meetings in the park. Apparently we’ll be able to sit in our gardens again from tomorrow, which we will do. Fingers crossed for some decent weather!

It is all very well for younger people (for me that really means anyone below the age of about 75 yrs), to talk about sticking it out and returning to normal next year (or the year after, or the year after that....). However, for me, I feel that every day and week and I am alive needs to be lived as fully as I can, whilst I can. I do not feel I can rely on being alive next year, etc. and so wish to see my family when I can.

As most of them live a distance away, this means that I am more than happy to see (indoors), my bubble family - of one teacher daughter, her hubbie and her three children (the oldest one is now away at Uni). I happily go to their house, eat and drink there and thank them for having me, and they come to visit me.
Am I more at risk with seeing them/ - well, obviously more so than living a life of total isolation. I am better and healthier for this contact? No question about it.

I think that not going into other peoples houses is because we are not all on the same page as regards antibacterial/bleach wiping things down continually because we think 'it's only family, they're alright'. we don't want to offend people, so things can get slack! businesses have to follow the guidelines though!

Mmmmm......exactly what point in an antibac wipe etc. as Covid is a virus????

The only people who have been into our house are DD, GS and SiL, who are our social bubble. I put an extra leaf in the dining table to spread us out a bit more and we sit in the conservatory where we have enough space to be socially distant except GS who is drawn toward DH like iron filings to a magnet! He can’t help himself. Che sera sera. If, as we suspect, the city is to be put into level two lockdown this week, we will not be seeing them inside for some time☹️.

Groups of 6 rule in Scotland says 6 from 2 households.

Things have hotted up in the central belt, roughly from Glasgow to Edinburgh, so far stricter there.

Further north we have just 'normal' restrictions.

Despite advice not to travel to/from the central belt, my DS, her DD and 3 kids plan to head to Edinburgh as the children are bored halfway through October holiday!
I have pointed out that they'll be even more bored if stuck in self-isolation for 2 weeks.

Don't understand this!

I haven’t been in anyone else’s house since February and no one has been in ours. Apart from a few weeks ago when some friends sat outside and chatted (even then I worried about it fir ages afterwards) we haven’t socialised with anyone, even the family. I can’t see that changing in the foreseeable future. In house contact really does seem to be the main way that the virus spreads. And, if that’s the case I don’t see how being inside a pub isn’t dangerous.

Maybee70 perhaps because in pubs/restaurants:
Tables are 2m apart, you can’t ‘table hop’ you must stay seated, no wandering, if you are stood up on entry/leaving/to the toilet a mask must be worn. Table service only. You must register for track and trace. The police and environmental health can drop in at anytime to check and enforce. Doubt if that happens in people’s homes.

It makes no difference. Pubs are an enclosed space with very little flow of air. People aren’t wearing masks for most of the time. And they’re speaking loudly. It’s a perfect storm for Vit us spreading. And I assume everyone can use the toilets in pubs, another possible source of infection.