Social distancing.

In local M&S food store today + while waiting for a parcel at customer service desk I was aware of a customer standing very close to me. Did I ask them to move back? No, I turned my trolley round facing her so she had to step back or else get bashed!

I agree with Maybe. We should all still be keeping our social distance and observing rules or there will be a third wave.
When you live near a beauty spot be it the seaside or the country you can feel it is being taken over.
When people are in family groups they seem to forget the social spacing, we have had to walk in the mud to keep out of the way of cycle riders four abreast in our country park today and family groups roaming from one side of the path to the other
Why should the sensible be penalised for the ones who don't think and deprive themselves of what is on their doorstep by staying away because you know it will be busy with others from further afield.

Children are back at school and there has been no sudden surge.
Yes, I was especially heartened by this M0nica.
Nothing is totally risk free but this proved that the virus is circulating less amongst that age group contrary to a lot of scaremongering.
The concern for me is when the pubs open May 17th, as this generation is in the main younger people who have yet to be vaccinated. So between now and that day looks like a good time to get out and about pretty much as normal!

Look at the figures, whatever people are doing the figures are going down and down and down. In my LA area, population 135,000, only 23 cases in the past week. Children are back at school and there has been no sudden surge.

Most of us have had our jabs, both of them. DD aged 47 was onto the vaccination for over 45s booking site at ten past midnight on Monday and had booked and had her first jab by midday.

I know there are one or two small hotspots of new variants. these sort of events can be dealt with by small area local measures

I went into my local small town this morning as there is a really good greengrocer in the market place on Wednesdays. There were more people than last week, but distancing wasn't a problem, people were keeping well apart because there was plenty of space. I wouldn't have worried even if it had been a bit crowded.

I am not suggesting breaking the rules, but there is no need to run scared, even if someone does come within 2 metres of you, the chances of picking up the disease are infinitismal.

I had a lovely experience this afternoon. As I was walking home along the pavement a gentleman was coming towards me. He stopped, called out, 'Come along my dear, I'll wait here.'
Old fashioned courtesy. Very touching indeed.

I think people are done with living in fear.

IMO I don't think most of the population have been living in fear. A huge proportion of the population have been working as usual or going to school, therefore going out everyday and mixing with others. Most have followed the guidelines to try to keep the numbers of infected people as low as possible.

For those people the only difference now is that they can go to the shops and to the pub or coffee bar, so there is no point expecting everybody in the country to keep to the same strict regime that many GNners have been following. It's not surprising that it's a bit of a shock to many who have been at home for a year but it's almost impossible to socially distance in busy streets, shopping centres and garden centres anyway.

For me the answer is to shop at quiet times, stay away from indoor places likely to be crowded and wear my mask when in public indoor spaces. It's what we've been doing for over a year. Over the next few weeks we will start to see how effective our vaccination programme has been and whether new mutations are causing problems, and then hopefully people will start to mix with much more confidence.

So long as you’re outside, just do what makes you feel safe. X

MayBee serves us right for living near lovely seaside towns!
We are 10 miles from ours. We kept to covid rules and didn’t visit when it was empty and safe during lockdown. Now it’s allowed it’s heaving and less safe we don’t want to go.?
We, luckily, know a few less popular areas and will head for those when I get the chance. I’m working again??‍♀️
I’m not too bothered though when I’m outside and contact is brief.

People also need to take account that the schools are on holiday, and many parents have needed to use this week to take their children for new school uniform, shoes and hair cuts.

In my opinion they should have priority. Next week, they will all be back in their schools and I can then go out to the shops.

With so many millions having received their first jab and several millions both jabs, it is about time that some of the paranoi settles down a bit. Just having a look at the tiny number in my County that has a positive test result (not saying they are even ill, just tested positive), reassures me that I am very unlikely to come into contact in the High street with any of these.

I’m just concerned that poorer countries won’t use the AZ vaccine because of the problem with blood clots. Unless the whole world is vaccinated we won’t be able to move on. It’s vital that poorer countries can take up the AZ or J&J vaccines, the others are too difficult to administer. I’m perfectly happy with my AZ vaccine. But it isn’t the complete answer. We still need to find therapeutics that will work etc etc. We may be at the beginning of the end but the end isn’t in sight yet. I did actually think that we would be out of all this by now. I just don’t want people to drop their guard completely or we’ll be in lockdown again come the autumn.

Generally people are very respectful in my area although passing on some narrow paths can be tricky.
I feel more confident now but will continue to wear a mask in shops - as the law states at the moment anyway - and use hand wipes, anti-bac gel or wash hands after handling anything in a public space.
I have always liked my own personal space and Covid has given me a justifiable reason to ask people to please step back a little if they are too close.

i think that people who have had to lead a normal life etc
I didn’t have to lead a normal life over the past year: I chose to live a ( near normal) life.
My daughter runs her own business. She would sometimes need me to look after the children. She was perfectly ok if I said no I can’t because of covid but I chose to look after the children.
I chose to go shopping at mostly B&Q and pick up craft stuff at my local craft shop. I chose to walk along my seafront whenever I wanted. And drive further ( within the rules) to another area to walk.
I chose to support my ‘elderly’ neighbours which necessitates going into their houses.

I think people that have had to live a more normal life over the past year are more relaxed.

I think you are quite right there MayBee70. In Scotland we're not opening up quite as quickly as England but things are starting to move. I went the Garden Centre today (hooray!) and most people were being very respectful of the distances. My first time in any shop other than Tesco's for nearly 6 months. Afterwards I drove my old commute through the countryside, just for fun, and I was reminded that the world is still there, same as before, just waiting for us.

We just have to gird our loins and do it

If you are unnerved by it all don’t go out yet or avoid areas where people will be
I don’t believe wearing a mask out doors is necessary but if it makes you more comfortable then do it
I went back to my voluntary work in the shop this week and people are all masked up coming in and it’s wonderful to see everyone out and enjoying some bits of life that has been denied us all so long we are all so excited to be back and the customers are too
I do believe the vaccine programme is the answer Japan is having a bad time but have vaccinated less than 1% of the population and I think that plays a much bigger role that social distancing out doors in the fresh air
I m certainly not finding anything to get uptight about with the AZ and have had both my AZ jabs why did that floor you maybee ?
Have you got very nervous over this pandemic ?

I think you’re right, I’ve worked right through, also have a daughter and her three children living here, so in a lot is ways life hasn’t been so different, and a certain amount of dealing with the public, and having the children back in school, has made us feel that we have been extremely lucky to avoid it.

Not everyone is inconsiderate I always thank people when they are.
On reflection I agree it's not always selfishness. I myself have forgotten at times.

I think I felt so relieved about the vaccination programme going so well and then the doubt about the AZ vaccine floored me. I’m not as paranoid as I was pre vaccination though. I think people that have had to live a more normal life over the past year are more relaxed.

Oh MayBee, I think we’re all a bit like that at the moment, but I think, fingers crossed, that the worst is behind us.

Apart from having my hair cut and colour tomorrow, (yippee!!) I’m not venturing out until the kids go back to school.

There’s dog poo everywhere. I think I’m just grumpy with everybody about everything these days!

Maybee
That reminded me, on our first seaside visit my grandson trod in some dogs mess on the promenade, not everyone is as vigilant as you.
That was disgusting, it spoiled the day for him, and as none of us had the stomach to clean them, we had to throw his shoes away, and buy him some flip flops.
Sorry, gone off subject, but it really annoyed me.

It is lovely to see the children on the beach.

I wouldn’t have gone shopping this week, but the last two weekends we have gone for a walk at the seaside. The first week we went to our nearest beach, not especially nice, but we thought we ought to stay in the county. Despite a really wide promenade and a vast beach, it was incredibly crowded, absolutely no social distancing going on.
Last weekend we went a bit further to a much smaller place, again busy, but definitely not so crowded.
On neither occasion was I worried, we were in the fresh air, and what a joy it was to smell that sea air again, and watch children paddling and building sandcastles. I don’t intend to go mad, but I’m definitely going to start going out and about a bit more.

I just think there’s a lack of respect from so many people. And if you move out of the way of someone no acknowledgement from people. Just sometimes a quizzical ‘why are you doing that’ look. Although a young lad who was walking behind me when I had to stop to pick up the dog poo(they never let you down, dogs, do they) paused and didn’t walk past me. I was quite touched by that. My daughter has taught her two boys to give people space.

I am not sure it is complacency. I am not sure it is even selfishness.
Humans tend to forget and move on quickly, especially in this day and age. For many, younger people in particular, this pandemic is just a passing thing.