For everyone who's bending the rules!

Another day ; another hectoring post from the OP . She spent a good amount of time lecturing me on going out for exercise twice a day. I had posted that I have Arthritis, and also walked to help my mental health re dealing with my DH Alzheimer’s, bu so great was her zeal no matter. What a pity she hadn’t clued up on Govt rules on exercise where it clearly states ‘if you are required to maintain your health, ie exercising several times a day _ then you can do so’ I am always careful to maintain a much greater distance than 2 metres if I do rarely see anyone! So I think the OP should resign her post as unofficial arbiter of the rules, and read up on them instead!,,

So, when I see numbers continuing to rise daily, I ask myself, how on earth can numbers be still rising, if everyone is following ALL the rules.

Numbers might be still rising because we can’t control the virus, just as we can’t control flu virus or common cold virus. It isn’t necessarily anyone’s fault that the numbers are still going up.

You only have to look at the posts on here over the past 9 months asking for peer sanction to "bend" the rules because the posters feel that they have "special circumstances". The virus does not ask if it's fair or convenient to infect. I live alone and have followed the guidelines to the letter, not difficult to understand if you want to, checking any changes as they are issued. This is not because I am "Holier than thou" but because I am FRIGHTENED, both for myself and for everyone else. I have shopping delivered two weekly, booking my slots up to a month in advance. I buy enough fresh for 2 weeks and freeze for the second week. My poor cat is now an indoor cat, I value her for my only company and will not allow her to roam in case anything happens to her. Litter trays are not pleasant, but better than risking her. It is really annoying to see on tv and hear of the many who are not complying with the rules, and are obviously making this pandemic worse. It is very easy with hindsight to blame the government for missed opportunities to control the virus, but with no precedent for such an occurrence, they have nothing but scientific advice to work with, and even the scientists cannot agree on the best action to take. The only obvious fact is that if you don't mix with others, you don't have the opportunity to catch it from anyone. I feel sorry for the many that have to work out of the home, but even they can limit their interaction just to their co-workers.

Blinko

^The sun brought out people in their droves, crowds, large groups in no way related, nobody wearing a mask.^

You don't have to wear a mask or face covering outdoors... Just saying.

And maybe we should. DD who lives in Thailand says EVERYONE wears a mask when out in public as well as in shops etc. And they are dealing with the pandemic infinitely better than we are.

Baggs, as we are in strict lockdown here in Scotland, I wondered how the virus is still spreading at such an alarming rate. What else can we do? Any suggestions? It's a genuine question.

There are photos online today of lots of people out walking on beaches and in public places who seem to think the rules don't apply to them.

I remember commenting to my husband around December time when all the crowds were out shopping in the Regent Street and other shopping centres, then after Christmas when people were queuing for the sales that we would have to suffer more Covid cases about now, but some people thought it was still O.K. to carry on with their lives as if there was no pandemic, in my opinion that is the cause of our problems now.

Baggs, as we are in strict lockdown here in Scotland, I wondered how the virus is still spreading at such an alarming rate. What else can we do? Any suggestions? It's a genuine question.

I don't have any suggestions, marydoll. I just don't think it's necessarily anyone's fault that this virus, and its mutations, is doing what viruses do and doing it very effectively. Could it be that what we and other countries have been doing simply doesn't work, at least that the measures that have been taken don't work enough from the human point of view?

The vaccines might make a big difference. I sure hope so!

Marydoll

*Baggs*, as we are in strict lockdown here in Scotland, I wondered how the virus is still spreading at such an alarming rate. What else can we do? Any suggestions? It's a genuine question.

I hope you don't mind if I offer an opinion here Marydoll and Baggs. I suggest we wait to see if this is working, it has started to already. We went into lockdown on Tuesday and daily numbers have already flattened out. Red arrow shows when we went into lockdown.

Obviously they need to start going down, else we need to find something else. But maybe what we are doing is good enough.

We are still reaping the rewards of Christmas and New Year. I think it may be a good idea for people to wear masks outdoors now. This variant is so infectious we can't be sure we are safe from it outside. Also parks and other outdoor areas are crowded now

Baggs, do think lack of social distancing may play a part in the rise? Or is social distancing a waste of effort?.

I live in an urban location, but had to give up my daily walk round the block, when shielding was paused in July (the pause didn't last long) due to the sheer numbers out and about, who were coming towards me in groups.

The latest data show that there is a possible slowing down in cases, although they're still very high in most regions, but the deaths are still going up and we haven't reached the point when the Christmas/New Year infections filter through to the statistics.

Cases by local authority:

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1APtcBmI4JeTR0Ysufjavgg2gy4MBiHz0Hf9eKIp5BSo/preview#gid=1865138965

Kandinsky good post. I am shielding and received a letter 2 weeks ago to ATTEND an appointment at the hospital with my consultant for Respiratory Disease. Now I thought about phoning and checking whether I really had to attend but I thought no I know I need to do some tests. When I arrived at the hospital on Friday I was booked in and sent to the waiting room. After about 20 mins someone came out to tell me I was a phone consultation. Where does it say this on my letter I asked. Seem they changed the rules and forgot to tell me. They put me at risk. Same thing has happened at another hospital I am to attend next week but this time I phoned and was told it was a phone consultation.
I am doing my best to keep to the rules, going out on my bike from home whenever I can, food being relived etc but you still need to go the shops to get the odd thing which Mr B does. I am sorry but I blame the government they have been playing catch up along and now blame us.

And cases by local authority:

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map?fbclid=IwAR3Photb5yKfjt-CCGuanbxZCB3ApfBIqjrUiKWv61si2inQ8510k1jnhNg

Sadly, a significant percentage of the population are not responsible, thinking adults. They have no common sense and lead insular lives with no community spirit, thinking only of themselves and their 'rights' but not how the exercise of those 'rights' might affect others. I'm all right, Jack! Also unfortunately, very high intelligence doesn't guarantee any level of common sense, either. Common sense is a scarce resource.

Cynical? Moi?

In my own little bubble. Were it not for my phone/tv /pc/tablet /not the by mouth kind /my garden /even in winter, I would be a candidate for the funny farm.Grin and bear it, counting each day the hours of daylight are getting longer.Thankful to get food delivery/medication when needed.Hair needs a good cut. So ? I am existing, not a ball. tough, but far preferable to what is happening to the thousands, who don't even make the next day let alone the next year.

The rulse, if well thought through and presented with clarity and gravitas, would not be so bendable. Some responsibility must be placed at the PM & cabinet. Of course the deniers and conspiracy theorists will, along with selfish people, do as they feel. Clear rules make it easier for police to deal with those choosing to bend them.

Barmeyoldbat, I'm sorry to hear of your negative experience. All my appointments since March have been either telephone or video. Anything requiring physical attendance has been put on hold. The appointment letter clearly states that I have not to attend in person.

I grabbed the chance this week when I was in hospital to ask for all the postponed bloods to be done.

There are likely to be people who despite sticking to the rules as best they can may be affected then spread the virus unwittingly because they have no symptoms so don’t know to go for a test or self isolate. We go out to shop for ourselves and two other households once a week taking half the supermarket each, paying separately and in and out within half an hour. I carry the Covid app on my phone and we are masked, sanitised and as careful as we can be. Beyond that we just have to hope we don’t pick it up or pass it on!!!

the rules have been broken right from march, the evidence was there, with internet etc these days there is nowhere to hide so we see it all, crowds on beaches in summer , large raves going on, etc etc, we dont know obviously if things would have been different if they had behaved as they should but its certainly not helped so instead of keep blaming the government maybe we should look to ourselves a little bit and behave responsibly and just use common sense

We all know the government did the wrong thing and continue to do so. I am definitely not excusing them, but we are all responsible for ourselves and the most important thing to remember is to keep away from other people. It's as simple as that really.

I think it's a culmination of things; not locking down fast or strict enough, the protestors, the people who are flouting the rules.

Just this week we have noticed a new phenomenon, we are on the route to an open space with interesting long views and we notice that two couples are out walking together, the husbands in front marching along and the two wives together catching up on all the news. I am sure if they were stopped they would claim they are two separate lots of walkers but as we watch them get out of their cars we know they are meeting to walk. We are more or less locked down more than the other two rounds, which is my excuse for watching other humans.
On the news we watch packed underground trains and busy parks, it is quieter here I am sure some people think there can be no harm.

Alegrias1

So now we want the army on the streets, and identity cards?

This is really getting out of hand. What would be the limit? Why not go the whole way and get those individual GPS trackers the conspiracy theorists are always talking about.

I certainly don’t want the army on the streets, with them checking our (timed!) passes as a poster on here has now suggested in a few posts (Gagajo?) we don’t live in a Fascist state, even if a few posters seem to think that we do.