To what extent are you still taking C19 precautions and has your lifestyle been permanently changed by the pandemic (April 2023)?

[pbsmooth]

Yep. If I felt poorly now I’d wear a mask to work and stay out back as much as possible to at least give our elderly and vulnerable customers a fighting chance but the company line now is that if you test positive for Covid and feel well enough to work then you should come in. Obviously during the pandemic we got full pay and told to stay home if we had a positive test.

stupid. one thing that has changed in my world/office is that people completely understand - and thank you! - for working from home when you're feeling under the weather but OK to work. don't bring the germs in the office!

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

I think it general it was impressive how people did rally round and try to do what they could to be honest.

I found the whole 'look everyone else is a selfish cunt' thing which some people were really in to quite dispiriting.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

I found the whole 'look everyone else is a selfish cunt' thing which some people were really in to quite dispiriting.

(((joggers)))

Tbf there were some selfish cunts out there, but it was usually more obvious by what they’d say rather than what you’d see them do.

 

[cesare]

I still have a mask and stick it on whenever I go into a shop and on the train. Covid rates are still pretty high and it's still a bad-ass bat virus

Same here.

 

[Elpenor]

Being in a bubble was all very well if you had someone to bubble with. I felt very alone at some points like when I was bereaved and I had to grieve on my own in a single room. in a way it was preparation for being old and alone

But it’s over now; long term it’s made me more of a loner and less keen to make new friends. I see my mates once or twice a year and that’s enough really.

 

[rich!]

Still wearing masks on public transport. And flights. I've become a ventilation bore and the kind of person who carries a CO2 meter, because that way I feel I can go to social things without saying "let's all stay outside all the time". Although I will be found outside and hence with the smokers far more than before...

Spending the best part of 2 years working from home would probably have done me a lot more damage if I hadn't also started therapy - weirdly, only the lockdown/no more travel meant my schedule could be regular enough for therapy...

And yeah, the realisation that most people are happy to cough at everyone else ... hurts.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

A few people have raised coughs as signs of a careless infectious person, but it’s worth mentioning that not all coughs are contagious, indeed many aren’t. I work with kids with asthma/cystic fibrosis/bronchiectasis and a fair few were bullied during the last few years due to their coughs, which in the case of the first won’t be infectious at all, and in the case of the other two will only be issues to those with similar conditions. And if they start cough suppressing because of shame then that can lead to further complications. I myself fairly often get a long lasting cough (sometimes asthmatic, sometimes not) after a virus that persists for way longer than there being any infection risk. So obviously if you’re vulnerable take your own precautions, but please don’t assume everyone who coughs is cavalier and/or selfish.

Edit: also it’s no wonder some people don’t stop when they have colds given the emphasis schools put on attendance. People are trained young.

 

[ska invita]

really sorry to read everyone's experiences of covid screwing up their lives - really hope things change for the better for you soon.

utterly back to normal for me, full central london commute, dealing with the public, clubs and pubs, all of it, no masks

however this isn't normal, and very much me, and lots of other people it seems, was quite happy to find this thread as reassuring how common this seems to be

basically ill to some extent for months now + post-covid health issues on top
presumably immune system fried ... i just have to have faith things will right themselves over time... bodies can be good at healing

 

[Dystopiary]

A few people have raised coughs as signs of a careless infectious person, but it’s worth mentioning that not all coughs are contagious, indeed many aren’t. I work with kids with asthma/cystic fibrosis/bronchiectasis and a fair few were bullied during the last few years due to their coughs, which in the case of the first won’t be infectious at all, and in the case of the other two will only be issues to those with similar conditions. And if they start cough suppressing because of shame then that can lead to further complications. I myself fairly often get a long lasting cough (sometimes asthmatic, sometimes not) after a virus that persists for way longer than there being any infection risk. So obviously if you’re vulnerable take your own precautions, but please don’t assume everyone who coughs is cavalier and/or selfish.

Edit: also it’s no wonder some people don’t stop when they have colds given the emphasis schools put on attendance. People are trained young.

You are right and to be clear, as I perhaps should have been when referring to "people", I'm not judging kids. And I get that some adults might not be in a position to cover the face when coughing in public due to any number of issues, but I was pretty shocked and disappointed at the amount of adults who weren't. It seemed to be a lot more than I used to see, years before the pandemic.

Don't want to say much more about my own sitch as this is in a public part of the forum.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Yup, and I totally agree Dystopiary that there will be a lot of needlessly thoughtless and/or selfish people in that category. My point is more that on an individual level, it’s sometimes hard to know who is infectiously ill and could very easily stay at home, and who has a chronic respiratory condition/allergies/is infectious but is being pretty much forced to be out for various reasons.

 

[moochedit]

Back to normal really. I've not worn a mask for about 10 months now. I work in the office 5 days a week. Drive to work so don't use public transport. I did wfh for a few months in 2020 and again in 2021 but that stopped july 2021. I had 4 vaccines and caught covid once almost exactly a year ago. I'm sure i will catch it again at some point but i don't worry about it.

 

[scifisam]

You are right and to be clear, as I perhaps should have been when referring to "people", I'm not judging kids. And I get that some adults might not be in a position to cover the face when coughing in public due to any number of issues, but I was pretty shocked and disappointed at the amount of adults who weren't. It seemed to be a lot more than I used to see, years before the pandemic.

Don't want to say much more about my own sitch as this is in a public part of the forum.

I explain to people constantly, when I have the chance, that my cough is asthma. I can understand people not knowing, though - I can't explain to everyone - and being wary. And it does mean that if I have something asymptomatic brewing that's unrelated to the asthma cough but still spread by air, I'm more likely to spread it, even if I do cover my mouth, so it's probably wise to be wary anyway, and turn away. I won't take offence.

There's not a lot I can do about it on things like public transport other than wear a sign saying "it's just asthma, don't worry!" Or never leave the house. Neither of those is something I'm going to do (and the sunflower lanyard, fuck no).

 

[Griff]

.

 

[newme]

No free tests and no covid relief. People went back to before very quickly. I carried on longer than most since dad isolating. Then he died anyway and all we did was see him less (and from distance while masked and ridiculous overkill for food deliveries to freezer, BIL did xmas tree in hazmat suits (or whatever undertakers can get hold.of)). For good reason but still not ideal.

 

[marty21]

Plenty of workplaces will have a 3-day lead in for sickness so no sick pay is paid due until day 4, or pay nothing but SSP. Completely wrong.

I'm lucky, I don't lose pay if I'm off sick (I work for a LA) and they have generous sick leave terms - 6 month on full pay, 6 months on half pay (has to be certified) , I've never taken that much sick leave - pre-covid, maybe a month over 11 years - and during covid, one week when had it (although didn't have it particularly bad, just felt knackered all the time).

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Looking back on it all is quite odd for me. Due to the nature of my work I was back in full time relatively early on (August 2020). My employer is good in that people who test positive are still told to stay at home, but I've not had it yet, which is a miracle considering I'm surround by thousands of students and tend to work in the middle of large crowds

The odd bit is how it has made me realise how isolated I was from people even before it all started. Because lockdown changed, well, fuck all really. I'd got to the point where I didn't much go out beforehand and socialise with anyone, and had no "real world" friends left. Hearing everyone talk of the sudden isolation and loss of things like that really brought home it being my norm. That has triggered an extended period of reflection on my part where I've realised I've been clinically depressed for a very long time indeed. What I do next with that information is still a bit of an ongoing debate in my head.

 

[rich!]

I explain to people constantly, when I have the chance, that my cough is asthma. I can understand people not knowing, though - I can't explain to everyone - and being wary. And it does mean that if I have something asymptomatic brewing that's unrelated to the asthma cough but still spread by air, I'm more likely to spread it, even if I do cover my mouth, so it's probably wise to be wary anyway, and turn away. I won't take offence.

There's not a lot I can do about it on things like public transport other than wear a sign saying "it's just asthma, don't worry!" Or never leave the house. Neither of those is something I'm going to do (and the sunflower lanyard, fuck no).

may not be the answer you're looking for, but as someone with a beard who wears masks a lot, the Handanhy FFP3 mask is spacious, folds flat, and means that I can get on with coughing and spluttering to my lungs' content.

It also has the advantage that if you're on public transport, you're well insulated from the 200+ ppm PM2.5/PM10 levels, let alone whatever the customers exhale.

 

[rich!]

Looking back on it all is quite odd for me. Due to the nature of my work I was back in full time relatively early on (August 2020). My employer is good in that people who test positive are still told to stay at home, but I've not had it yet, which is a miracle considering I'm surround by thousands of students and tend to work in the middle of large crowds

The odd bit is how it has made me realise how isolated I was from people even before it all started. Because lockdown changed, well, fuck all really. I'd got to the point where I didn't much go out beforehand and socialise with anyone, and had no "real world" friends left. Hearing everyone talk of the sudden isolation and loss of things like that really brought home it being my norm. That has triggered an extended period of reflection on my part where I've realised I've been clinically depressed for a very long time indeed. What I do next with that information is still a bit of an ongoing debate in my head.

Beer sometime in a park?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I'm lucky, I don't lose pay if I'm off sick (I work for a LA) and they have generous sick leave terms - 6 month on full pay, 6 months on half pay (has to be certified) , I've never taken that much sick leave - pre-covid, maybe a month over 11 years - and during covid, one week when had it (although didn't have it particularly bad, just felt knackered all the time).

depends on the local authority though. the sick leave terms are part of the national agreement, but many have gone down the path of treating sick leave as a disciplinary offence...

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Going back to the original question, I'm not sure how much I want to say on a public thread but...

I started a new job in 2019 that I fairly rapidly realised was a mistake. I got a job offer in early 2020 that was put on hold because covid, later offered on the basis of being one of the first people to try and learn the job on wfh basis, so i wasn't prepared to take the risk.

the 2019 job that was rarely between emergency and crisis from when i joined got worse and i spent most of 2020-21 working silly hours (i freely admit that a lot of people had it worse - i was not in direct contact with the general public, i was not working in health care or anything like that) and to be honest was probably close to burnout by spring 2022.

starting a new job (in theory a 'better' job in terms of money and so on) in summer 2022 (something else that had been on hold for a long time) seemed like a good idea, but on reflection i probably wasn't in the right frame of mind for it and probably needed a break and time to organise for moving house, but i didn't really want to leave a job with nothing to go to.

then trying to learn a new job from people who were too overworked to have time to deal with someone new, and who (unlike me) were on mostly wfh really didn't work.

i managed to escape in to something that is ok, it's about where i was (professionally rather than geographically) 12 or so years ago, it's mostly wfh (a day or two a month at office which is 70 miles away) and in all honesty the only real 'career aspiration' now is to try and hang on until i can retire. (again, i freely admit it could be a lot worse)

trying to decide what the heck to do about moving house - for various reasons there's not a lot for me to stay here for now, i could do with being nearer work or nearer mum-tat or maybe somewhere between the two rather than being a three points of a triangle.

things are not great with mum-tat, she's 80+ (fortunately, she already did much of her grocery shopping online) and had an accident / injury a year or so back, so is still not getting out much now. i was still working in the office for the first 6 months or so after covid started, then going in one or two days a week after that, and we came to the conclusion it was probably safer for me not to visit her even when it was legal, as there would have been the chance i'd caught it but not yet got symptoms / tested by the time i went, so i didn't get over there for more than a year.

 

[Mr Retro]

It’s answering a different question to the original posed, but, the extent people were willing to give up their freedoms and the lack of questioning of the official line has profoundly changed my life and outlook. I might post about it more. It’s unlikely to be here where people clamoured to obey.

 

[Aladdin]

..

 

[elbows]

It’s answering a different question to the original posed, but, the extent people were willing to give up their freedoms and the lack of questioning of the official line has profoundly changed my life and outlook. I might post about it more. It’s unlikely to be here where people clamoured to obey.

People here mostly clamoured to figure out the appropriate sense of risk, a sense of what the right thing to do was, and a sense for how bad things might get during nasty waves in the pre-vaccine era. We didnt all have the luxury of doing what you did. Which was to talk a load of inexcusable shit in September 2020 about your ignorant expectations in regards the next wave, claimed you would post again that October when you expected to be proven right, but then fucked off completely till the following summer because you were very wrong and we had a large wave of death over a prolonged period.

The government we had actually favoured your sort of approach, but unlike you they had to actually show up and u-turn when the numbers got far too bad to maintain that do little approach.

 

[krtek a houby]

It’s answering a different question to the original posed, but, the extent people were willing to give up their freedoms and the lack of questioning of the official line has profoundly changed my life and outlook. I might post about it more. It’s unlikely to be here where people clamoured to obey.

Oh, you're the guy who called people mad for wearing masks in the pub.

 

[elbows]

As for me, I'm sort of semi back to normal.

Theres a sense of unfinished business because although my brother with type 1 diabetes had it several times, and my nephew had it and also developed type 1 diabetes during the pandemic, my parents still havent had it (as far as we know) and neither have I. So when it comes to personal family stuff, the story seems likely to have more chapters left for the future.

I always knew it was likely that the return to normal agenda and timing would not be a perfect fit with my own opinions (thats quite the understatement), but I have had plenty of time to come to terms with that. And I'm not bitter and twisted about how many people ran with that and accepted the timescales involved, as I didnt expect the masses to put their lives on hold once we were well into the vaccine era. After all, the scale of things and the risk picture is different thanks to vaccines. Unfortunately I was also prepared for the likely eventuality that the general health of the nation and death statistics would be 'permanently' altered by the presence of this virus. But I am dismayed that we havent had bigger gaps between waves, and that we've had way more deaths from all causes so far this year than we had up to the same period last year. This has slightly impacted on the extent to which I have been able to move on completely, but I'm still getting there.

 

[BigMoaner]

No precautions tho test if symptoms

Still find post COVID booking systems a little annoying but other than that life not much different to pre pandemic. Work from home one day a week which is great

 

[Mr Retro]

The lockdowns and consequences of them have had a greatly more deleterious effect on my health than the virus itself, which I have so far avoided.

A lot of things are shitter than they were pre-Covid.

This with bells on. We’ll be reaping what we sowed for years and years to come. Massive disproportionate reaction to an extraordinarily over exaggerated threat.

 

[elbows]

Twice as many people as normal were dying every day at the peak of the first wave, the threat was real. Individual risk was very strongly correlated to age, so its understandable that some people think the response was disproportionate, if they have the luxury of only considering themselves and arent of advanced age.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Those 220k dead in the UK (WITH measures) probably wouldn't think things were worse than before, not least because they're dead. You don't recover from that. People will recover from the privations of the last three years.

 

[Numbers]

I wear a mask when I go for a fortnightly hospital appointment.

I/we test only when we’re seeing Mrs Numbers’ Mum.

Apart from that, BAU.