Corona fatigue

[moomoo]

People are still coming in to the shop in couples and family groups. It’s so frustrating. I had to move on two guys who stopped in the middle of an aisle to have a chat yesterday. I’m getting militant about it now. So cross making. It’s like no one cares anymore. Apparently we can’t enforce the one person, one trolley rule but for the life of me, I can’t see why. J went to the shop yesterday and saw a family group in the queue. The man held back so the two women went in together and he followed. Why? It takes one person to go shopping. And yeah, I get single parents have to shop with their kids but why on earth would a couple take their children shopping? I’m completely baffled. And cross because thanks to idiots like this, it’s going to be even longer before I can see my loved ones. Grrrrr.

 

[iona]

Weird, it feels like I'm seeing the opposite here. People in shops are (mostly) getting better at remembering, and actually managing, to keep their distance. Outside sounds less busy and the streets are emptier when I've been out. This is the first weekend I've not heard any pissed up groups walking past on a Friday/Saturday night!

 

[Cid]

Sheffield... Hmm... I do think it's wavering. But it's difficult to tell... certainly more vehicles out and about. And pretty sure more people out... Shops is a bit harder as you'd need to go at a consistent time of day/week, which I don't really. It's an odd one, because I do think the supermarkets themselves have got better - even if they seem to have less PPE. Also, despite some people clearly going back, I also know some firms that have only furloughed very recently.

I was going to start a thread on the sociology of how the UK specifically has dealt with this pandemic. It's striking how in the early stages there was a lot of talk on the activities of the 'nudge unit', and yet throughout this I think there's been a profound lack of good-quality communication. Even down to the fact the colour-scheme for that safety sign on the briefing podium looks like it comes off a rent-a-cop or highway maintenance vehicle. Admittedly I don't watch TV (I mean I do, just iplayer etc), but nor do most of the country, judging by viewing figures (though these have increased significantly apparently). I dunno... Many of my friends seem reasonably well-informed, but... increasingly detached from cause and effect. There's a degree of 'why are we even doing this now? it's been ages'. Which makes no sense of course, but without some kind of consistent communication on that level, is completely inevitable.

 

[Thora]

I'm in Wiltshire which I believe is one of the least affected areas so far, and we still seem to be in lockdown! Streets empty, social distancing observed in the supermarket.
The only difference this week is a couple more shops have opened, B&Q and a couple of cafes doing take out.

The ice cream man came round yesterday and that provoked a massive argument on local facebook

 

[gaijingirl]

I drove to my mum's yesterday with food and the streets were RAMMED. So busy. Our local Portuguese deli - which is absolutely tiny and borders a footpath to the train station was heaving - the footpath was almost a party of people having coffees and wine and slapping each other on the back (it's always been very much a social meeting point more than a shop). When I came back I wondered if it is only us who is doing it? I had thought when I got back to go for a walk but abandoned that idea. I'm hoping next weekend when the weather is a bit shittier to be able to get out for a good walk together in a park in the rain. I think people are fed up with it.

 

[bimble]

Yesterday was definitely the busiest day I’ve seen round here since this started. Gates to the national trust park I’m in are still locked but now the road verges either side of the entrance are getting packed with probably 100 +cars parked up right next to each other as people go out walking & to see the bluebells etc. Tbh it’s totally understandable and still far fewer people than usual but yep a big and obvious change as people are clearly getting bored of it as the shock of it all moves into drudgery.

 

[planetgeli]

Wales moved into harder lockdown yesterday and I support that. None of this cycling 5 hours bollocks, exercise only near your home and only once a day.

But things need enforcing or else they don't work. I posted this on the panic buying thread on Friday.

Friday morning Tesco. Completely different experience to last week, no queue, no social distancing. Nobody on the door checking numbers. Public (obviously not all, but a lot) behaving like everything is back to normal, not following the one way system, not staying apart. People chatting in the aisles. People barging their way in front of others. Pretty depressing.

Forgot something so went to local co-op on the way home. Totally different to Tesco, staff on door making people queue. People respecting each other. That door policy makes a big difference by the look of things. People need to be told or reminded what to do, then it works.

My locality is observing the lockdown well and besides the Tesco blip we seem to be doing it right. We are also one of the lowest areas for cases and deaths in the whole UK.

 

[Looby]

It has got busier here, I noticed more traffic around yesterday. I drove further than I have so far to take shopping to MIL and the beach was almost empty, parks were quiet.
Still the same measures in the supermarket. Whole families going in seems to be an issue. The couples I saw go in together seemed to be shopping separately, maybe for family members. We nearly did this but Mr Looby didn’t want me to go in.
They kindly let me jump the queue and go in for a wee because I’d been waiting in the car for fucking ages and it was really quiet. I think they thought I was pregnant.
Here, Sainsburys seem to be letting fewer people in at a time than Tesco. I don’t know if that’s the same all over but the shop was really quiet.

I’m going out more than I was but for the first 2 weeks I was self isolating and then scared to go out at all. Even so, I’ve been in 4 shops and had two dog walks since 13/03.
I still have a mild cough and am really paranoid about that and worry that people will have a go at me for being out but I’ve been told I’m ‘recovered’ and wear a mask in case I do cough.

 

[danny la rouge]

Yesterday was definitely the busiest day I’ve seen round here since this started. Gates to the national trust park I’m in are still locked but now the road verges either side of the entrance are getting packed with probably 100 +cars parked up right next to each other as people go out walking & to see the bluebells etc. Tbh it’s totally understandable and still far fewer people than usual but yep a big and obvious change as people are clearly getting bored of it as the shock of it all moves into drudgery.

There’s confusion over what appears to be a change in the advice over driving to walk destinations. And, here, whether or not this altered message applies to Scotland. The messages are confusing. I’m not surprised people are confused.

I have not been to big supermarkets. I’m sticking to smaller local shops, where I feel I can manage the risk better. My local coop has someone in the door, managing numbers etc. But at my last visit people were still milling. An old woman - determined to kill me - kept passing me in the aisles, and at one point literally brushed past me. Like she was actually trying to touch me. (I mean, I know I’m hot, but control yourself, lady!) I found it very stressful. But I’m not seeing any change. My shop experience has all along been that some people are just getting it wrong. My overall experience here (Glasgow, G20), is that lockdown is holding as much as ever. It’s just joggers and old people that don’t get it. (Joke. Sort of).

 

[frogwoman]

A lot of people here arent really following it but then they never have tbh! Most people are still sticking to it tho.

 

[Looby]

I went in my local shop yesterday. There were a group of lads around the cash machine taking cash out to go and score. Then getting really pissy with the staff when it crashed.
Another couple clearly off their faces buying horrible machine coffee. Staff very close to customers and the woman serving me touched my hand. I whipped it away very quickly but she was oblivious. I won’t be going in there again.

 

[redsquirrel]

It has been a little busier here (Leeds) this week but while there probably is an element of fatigue I also think it is just people acclimatising to the situation. People who basically didn't go out at all in the first 2 weeks now going out for a bit more exercise, some people who may have been self-isolating now able to leave their homes for shopping/work, etc.

I think @quimcux is on the money

I think it is worth remembering that while a small number are being reckless there are some who are taking calculated risks and many more who are still within guidelines just not staying in as much as they had been.

For instance we have all been allowed to take a walk every day for the last month but I didnt. I didn't go for walk at all the first couple of weeks but now I am taking some walks. Multiply that by a few hundred other people within a 5 min walk from mine and the streets start looking very busy and, in comparison, as if the lockdown is failing.

It's similar to the panic buying and hoarding. Mostly people just bought a few more things because they needed to make their own lunch and use their own toilet more etc.

And it is us doing the lockdown, however imperfectly, that has caused the transmission to drop. Its not perfect but we have done it. And we're still mostly doing it. Well done us.

 

[zora]

A lot of it is so confusing and confused. I noted this from the press conference yesterday:

Quote from the Guardian: "Q. Regarding the rise in motor vehicle use, is the government sending out mixed messages by telling people to stay at home while also allowing non-essential work to take place?
Prit Patel says that if you can’t work from home, you can go to work as long as physical distancing is practised."

That isn't really an answer to the question though when transport use/traffic is used as a measure for adherence to the lockdown, because, how else are people supposed to get to work? As has been discussed here, it seems that people/businesses went into stricter lockdown than required by the letter for the first few weeks of lockdown and are now putting in social distancing measures etc at workplaces and going back to them to an extent (nevermind that I am not sure if it got ever fully clarified if people could go to work who can absolutely not work from home - see construction - or only essential work that can not be done from home). But this should then be put into context and differentiated in a press conference imo.

I have posted a bit about Germany last week, and was so impressed by official communication there, but I have noticed a lot of confusion/mixed messages there as well now. Since measures were loosened somewhat last week, Angela Merkel and the virologist who has been doing the bulk of the science communication have both cautioned strongly that the progress of the past few weeks is in danger of being lost. Otoh there was for example a news feature with small business owners expressing their disappointment about how few people have come back into their shops and that their trading is down to about 10% of their previous sales. Now that is of course worrying for the business owner but I think it still needs to be at that level, otherwise things would go to shit again shortly.

 

[Mr Moose]

I have noticed a big change in how people use the streets.

I’ve been doing some volunteer stuff and do a bit of driving for that (before people wonder why I’m in the car ). Kids are all over the residential streets in the nice weather, on bikes, skateboards, doing chalk drawings, playing ball games etc. The parents are also out everywhere gassing. In general the social distancing is fine.

I really like this aspect of things. It’s a grim way to get there though. And it also makes me super cautious driving.

 

[purenarcotic]

I have noticed in Brum it feels busier. I am out at work as normal and have noticed little things such as now in the city centre I sometimes have to wait for the pedestrian crossing whereas a week or so ago I could cross the road wherever and whenever I wanted because the roads were so quiet. I think it’s a mixture of things that are not necessarily everyone has suddenly become a cunt. People who were ill will have now finished their isolation so will be enjoying being able to get out, there are still problems in my local area with things like getting tinned produce which I think means people have to then shop more frequently because they can’t get what they need in one shop, some people will be less anxious so they are feeling more able to do their daily exercise, volunteer programmes are more established now so people will be travelling to drop food and supplies off to people etc....

I don’t really understand why my local co op has such piss poor management though. There is rarely a queuing system to get in but people aren’t maintaining distance properly inside at all. It’s maddening.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I'm also noticing everything is busier. I'm still working (shed loads) and there's more cars on the road, see more people out etc. As the agency staff I'm most often sent out to do shopping and lines are longer. I know there are less people in the stores, but I do wonder if people are actually buying more food. I'm bulk buying for home. I was already leaning that way, but think it's something I'll keep doing when it's all finished. Ultimately spend less and less time in the supermarket so it is a win.

 

[felixthecat]

Like Thora I'm in Wiltshire and everything is still the same, haven't noticed any relaxing of lockdown

I haven't been to supermarket since it all started but the daughter says it's extremely well organised and the vast majority keeping to social distancing.

 

[Numbers]

Never really was a lockdown around here. Last few days it’s been ‘what virus?’.

 

[weltweit]

There have been groups of bikers coming through my village this morning. Hooning about, not essential travel imo.

 

[miss direct]

So anyway how likely is corona fatigue, how dangerous is it, will it be diminished by rising cases/deaths... A thread for thoughts I suppose.

Definitely likely. This is our second long lockdown here in Turkey, and I'm already plotting as to how I can go and see a friend (from a safe distance) next week. I just need to speak English to someone face to face and feel a bit more human.

 

[Thora]

Like Thora I'm in Wiltshire and everything is still the same, haven't noticed any relaxing of lockdown

I haven't been to supermarket since it all started but the daughter says it's extremely well organised and the vast majority keeping to social distancing.

Maybe that’s why we’ve got less cases than other areas
Though also of course it’s a large county and mostly rural, barely a city here, and a lot of people have houses & gardens. Pretty easy to go for walks and bike rides locally in the countryside.

 

[weltweit]

.. This is our second long lockdown here in Turkey, ..

miss direct how did that happen? did you have one then a normal period then another one? Wondering if this is in the UK's future also?

 

[miss direct]

We have weekend full lockdowns as in you can not go out for anything and you get a massive fine for violation. I've actually lost count - can't remember if this is number 2 or 3. But this week it's four days long. This doesn't mean everything is normal on non-curfew days, by the way.

 

[weltweit]

We have weekend full lockdowns as in you can not go out for anything and you get a massive fine for violation. I've actually lost count - can't remember if this is number 2 or 3. But this week it's four days long. This doesn't mean everything is normal on non-curfew days, by the way.

I thought you needed more than 14 days lockdown to get past the next set of infections at least.
Going away to have a think

 

[miss direct]

I thought you needed more than 14 days lockdown to get past the next set of infections at least.
Going away to have a think

Probably, but this country isn't wealthy enough to support everyone to stay at home

 

[pinkmonkey]

I went on a long walk around Tottenham, yesterday, I’d not left my home for four days. It was really quiet in the streets. I went in the Chinese wholesalers, which was busy but you had to have your temperature taken and disinfect your hands before you went in. The high road was dead, the buses, ditto. Went in B&M, half the folk in there were caring about distancing, the rest, not so much. The garden and DIY sections were stripped bare. Went in Aldi, very quiet. Walked home through the marsh, the area with cut grass was crammed with folk, sitting on the benches, even though they were taped off, parking on the road which had also been taped off (and the carpark closed) to prevent visits. The issue here is you can’t expect folk to behave if you leave them to it. There is so little presence of police and its so quiet on the roads I’ve seen kids on scramblers doing wheelies down the centre of the A1055 with no plates and no helmet on.

 

[girasol]

Definitely more traffic in SW London. The peaceful bird singing I could hear from garden is back to being drowned by more traffic the streets here actually became busier during lock down. They are normally quiet during the day but there is a constant flow of people as the street leads to the common.