People ignoring social distancing
Hi all,
I went out for a walk by myself with my dog yesterday and a woman walked right up to me. I told her that there were social distancing measures in place and she should be at least 2m away from me. She replied that she did not have the virus and that social distancing only applied during lockdown. I told her that I did not care less whether or not she had the virus but social distancing measures had to be observed and I did not want her anywhere near me. She then walked off muttering something under her breath.
Now that everything is reopening people think the virus has gone away and they don't need to social distance. It has not gone away. If we are not careful there will be another lockdown just like in Leicester.
I, like millions of others who are currently shielding have to be so careful and clearly we are at a risk by people who are selfish and ignorant.
Stay safe everyone.🐶
Comments
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I’m not downplaying your post but something really amusing happened to me this very morning. Whilst walking my dog in the Peak Park I noticed a couple walking towards me, I took a wide berth to the right, fully expecting them to do similar. They appeared to have problems working out the recommended social distancing measure and went circa five metres into the rough, the woman then started to fall over backwards in slow motion, she wasn’t hurt but unlike me didn’t see the funny side, such is life. 😂
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The ignorance and general lack of intelligence of the Great British Public should never be underestimated, as some groups of the population happily prove time and time again (sales of Corona lager crashed at the beginning of this, tells you all you need to know really). Then factor in the complacency of the usually healthy increased by the fact they probably don't know of anyone in their social circle who has died from covid and you get a very heady brew of stupidity. The government have also played a part in issuing vague and contradictory messages. DD
Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben3 -
If anyone can't be bothered social distancing they should be given a free air ticket to the USA - ONE WAY!
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I'm new on this, Hi everyone.
I am high risk so always wear my mask. I take my dog for a daily walk and dislike people getting close to me and when I shout 'Please give me 2 meters' they usually laugh. I want this virus to disappear, like we all do, however some of our youngsters have no respect nor do they adhere to rules, all these protests and parties surely must have, unfortunately had a negative impact. If we keep going on like this we will never get rid of this horrible infectious disease. Let all think positive if we can and beat it. Sally ☺️
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Welcome @smoes to our online community,
Where you will find a range of forums, great sharing, support and conversations.
You raise the very real challenge of what it is like trying to safely distance, when we venture outside and the strange and unkind responses you have experienced when people are not observing these very clear rules. It's not ok.
Our new COVA https://www.versusarthritis.org/get-help/cova/
COVA is a button-based chatbot designed to help people with arthritis get relevant health information relating to COVID-19 quickly - its quick and easy to use and might be able to offer tips and hints to allow you a more pleasurable walk with your dog.
Equally our Helpline is a great source of support, advice and offers a good listening ear. You can find them at
0800 5200 520 - they are open Monday through to Friday 9am till 8pm.
Let us know how you get on and thank you for posting and becoming part of our online community, and like you say lets all think positive and beat this virus,
kind regards,
CarolG
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We can’t expect people to understand the hidden dangers of this horrible virus when we see the antics of professional footballers. They have abandoned hand shakes in favour of touching fists, however when a goal is scored they do the same OTT hugging and kissing as they did prior to social distancing etc. Have they perhaps no idea of why they are playing in supporter free stadiums?
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I’ve found some of the worst offenders are people under c 25. I’m not ageist, I just think youngsters feel, as I used to, invulnerable. (I don’t think that’s the word I’m looking for but it’s late and my brain battery has died). They don’t think the virus will get them, and if it does it will be a bit of a laugh and at it’s worst a dose of flu, which will give them something to talk about on social media. So I don’t think it’s that they don’t care, or are rude or arrogant (all ages can be guilty of that), they just can’t understand why older or vulnerable people are so worried about this. All we can do is try our best to avoid tricky situations, and conspicuously keep our distance to give the sign to others that they should too.
Crooksey, your story did make me laugh!
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You are probably looking for the word ‘immortal’, my son was similar until two of his mates were killed in a very avoidable car crash, the old heads on young shoulders idiom comes to mind.
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It should never be forgotten that under the age of 25 every human being is an invincible know-it-all and that anyone over the age of 30 (which of course they will never be) is old and knows nothing. Youth is wasted on the young but as the majority of young are generally stupid due to the lack of life experience that's hardly surprising.
Youth is a time of energy and optimism, idealism and extraordinarily simple solutions. Then adulthood, its duties and responsibilities are supposed to arrive and all that is eroded as realism sets in. It will be interesting to see what the posey-pouty Instas of both genders make of being over thirty and how irrelevant they are begins to dawn . . . .
Time for scrambled egg with Worcestershire sauce. Makes the eggs a funny colour but the taste . .. . . DD
Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben1 -
Invincible! That was the word I was looking for! It doesn’t help that the risk and empathy centres of the human brain are among the last to develop, often in Kate teens/early twenties, which is why youngsters seem so shallow and callous, and are prone to acts of supreme idiocy. But that’s why we had more fun when we were younger - there was nothing there to put the breaks on. But it does also explain why they don’t understand why some people are so worried about catching and/or spreading the virus, and how dangerous it can be.
of course, there are also people of all ages who are selfish mindless idiots, and there’s not a whole lot we can do about them. Darwin’s laws may well weed them out.
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Went to the village shop for some milk yesterday and once again there were holiday makers in there who were ignoring the owner's rules. Notices on the door and windows of the shop state that there is to be only one customer in the shop at any one time; in this case there were two in there who told the girl behind the counter that as they lived together it didn't apply to them, regrettably the owner wasn't there and the girl behind the counter didn't want to get into an argument; another rule clearly displayed is that you only touch what you want to buy, needless to say that there were picking stuff up off the shelves and putting it back, they were browsing for ages and only emerged with one orange and some bananas. We have not had any virus cases in our village as yet but on the rare occasion I venture out to the village shop or postbox I shall have to wear a mask. Anyway, only another couple of weeks to go before the second wave hits the UK after all the pig ignorant people that one sees on the TV have spread it round.
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People do not grasp that this isn't about their safety, that they are the threat, admittedly it is not an easy concept for the healthy majority. My husband explained trolley hygeine to a grunting knuckle-dragger whilst outside Sainsbriz on Tuesday: said dragger had ignored the short queue and hauled a trolley from the stack without sanitising either himself or the trolley so The Spouse stepped in whilst others in the distanced queue tutted.
It is confusing: arbitary dates on which things can be done, exemptions for athletes, footballers just taking the mickey, Leicester unsurprisingly back in lockdown due to the patterns of life there. People will be slow to learn that this virus has changed everything. DD
Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben1 -
I don't think that the knuckle draggers (I like the analogy) will understand until someone they know kicks the bucket, but even then .....................!
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From The Spouse's description I think his version of our species stopped development at the cro magnon stage. His reasoning was if you're gonna get it you're gonna get it (which is true as the president of Brazil is finding out) but it was for that reason he didn't see the need for precautions. The Spouse was polite, firm and spoke quietly which is always more effective than shouting. Cro Magnon listened and complied but with the expected sarcastic attitude. He was also double the size The Spouse, my mouse who quietly roared.
People always think stuff will never happen to them, only others. To discover you also can be categorised as others sometimes leads to brain infarction. Although in his case infarction probably happened pre birth. DD
Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben3 -
I have to wonder why the folk who go into the supermarket masked and gloved and are clearly terrified of being there, don’t do their shopping on-line.
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Maybe because they're desperate for a taste of normality and fresh air? And for those who have been shielding, reclaiming a bit of their independence? And bear in mind masking is more for other people's benefit than the wearer's. I've been using mine where socially distancing is difficult, or out of respect for others who may be anxious about it (eg in the course of my work).
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Fresh air I get, supermarket I don’t, particularly when they are clearly scared of being in one. I did our weekly shop today and concluded it by walking through a plethora of food stuffs on the floor of the check out isle, apparently folk are emptying their trolleys at such a speed in order to get out of the place that they are dropping loads of their shopping on the floor.
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Wow, that doesn’t sound like much fun, I’m not doing “leisure shopping” because I’ve finally realised that I don’t miss it. Why go back to bad habits?
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I think those who are going in masked and gloved are being responsible rather than terrified. On-line shopping is an option but not for everything or everyone, I found it useful for heavy stuff but always shopped in person for the fresh produce. It is also a question of habit, familiarity with technology (not everyone has easy access to a computer) and yes, it does get the lonely out into the world and raises the opportunity for a muffled chat.
Personally I won't be going out any time soon, I don't want the bother of sanitising before, during and after, I am not very maneouvrable to get out of people's way, I don't want to steam up my glasses thanks to the mask or risk ruining my very thorough shielding. Hair cuts are easy, clippers and me in the back garden on a 9mm setting, job's a good 'un. I am missing browsing and buying the domestic bargains from BHM and The Range but as Mr DD is now in charge of all shopping at least he's paying for surface cleaner and the Dettol stuff we need. That is a genuine silver lining to the dark cloud.
I am going for a blood test in nine days time. Woo-hoo. DD
Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben1 -
Friends of mine, who I regard as my surrogate parents, are 82 and 92 and now live over the border in Devon as they moved to be nearer their daughter who has MS. They have no computer or access to the internet so have no option but to do their own shopping. They have received no support from any agency or charity, luckily a neighbour living opposite them has been able to add some of their requisites to their own shopping. Prior to having my driving licence taken away I would drive up to see them every couple of months, as and when I was able as it is a 2 hour drive which exhausted me, but now just keep in touch by phone. Instead of travelling to a large supermarket they are now relying on shops in the village and paying the inflated prices charged therein. I have offered to try to get them some support but they do not want to bother anyone as they say that there are plenty in worse situations than they are.
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Like DD I used to love browsing in shops, wandering around the aisles in my wheelchair with a basket on my knees. Often a dangerous thing to do in B&M as it was amazing how many items I needed that I was not aware of before I saw them! There is no way on this Earth that I will be doing things like that again until a vaccine is available, so now my browsing is on-line - which can be just as dangerous at times 😁
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I can totally understand Mike1’s post, I’m lucky enough to be able to get out into the sticks and walk unaided. My heart goes out to folk who are imprisoned in their own bodies, I can forget this pandemic when I close my door, I appreciate that many can’t.
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This is not a joke but please try not to laugh too hard as it may hurt!
A friend who lives in Mousehole was walking through the village when a group of 5 people were walking in his direction, he said "excuse me but please maintain social distancing", the response was "we came down from London to get away from social distancing".
Is it any wonder than the level of infection in Cornwall has tripled in a week?
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Oh my goodness,incredible!! There's a couple over the way from us,it's their 2nd home,who came here when they got wind of lockdown starting back in March. The wife has relatives in the village and has been in and out of their homes all along. As soon as lockdown was eased they off back to Leeds for the weekend then came back and have since had a steady stream of friends/relatives staying with them. Social distancing and Coronavirus seems to be unknown to them! Grrr 😷0
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Personally I don't understand what is so difficult about wearing a mask and maintaining a safe social distance but I try not to be too judgemental of others it increases my anxiety Individual responsibility and common sense is key
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