“Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller

No one can deny that these are strange times we are living in. With the run of Corona virus, mass gatherings have been banned, flights have been grounded, and whole countries have been sealed off in hopes of containing the disease. For as many people who are trying their best to contain the spread of the virus, there are idiots who blatantly don't care or are ignorant to how serious the situation is.

Protesters in America, refusing to go into lock down because it violates their rights as citizens, are a prime example of the stupid that is out in the world amidst this corona virus. Well we can't 'fix' stupid and I say let Darwinism happen. If people are stupid enough to go out in mass gatherings, risking their lives to protest that their freedoms have been violated, then I say let Natural Selection weed out the weak.

The thing that riles me up more than the obvious protesting idiots who will most likely contract COVID19, are the 'normal' seeming, usually law abiding citizens who all of a sudden think they are the exception to the law. It upsets me when i see people (especially my friends and family) 'interpreting' guidelines set out by the law so they can sneak around the 2 metre/6 feet rule.

I'm sorry but the 2 metre rule is a guideline in and of itself. It was set out so that people would be able to do NECESSARY activities (working, essential food shopping, outdoor exercise, etc) at a safe distance to minimize the spread of the disease. In reality the W.H.O. advises that you stay at least 1 metre away from another person as COVID spreads though tiny droplets in the air, but are heavy and don't travel too far.  HOWEVER, this does not mean that this is up for interpretation when it comes to rules set out by governing bodies.

I've seen people meeting up with others, albeit staying 3-6 feet (1-2 metres) away from each other, but in a setting that is not necessary to do in person right now. Video chatting is a thing people! Don't risk you lives, the lives of those you love, or the key workers who are risking their lives for you just so you can have your jollies.

Here is a short list of 'reasons' for breaking Social Distancing I've seen so far:

• Going over to your girlfriends house to have sex
• Having a drink with your friend for their birthday. 
• Being with family who live outside your household ("we're each in isolation, so it's safe...")
• Going Camping with another family ("who are also social distancing..." "It's safe outdoors...")
• Going to Botanical Gardens

Bare in mind that these things have happened in either the UK, or in California and there are laws against public gatherings that people are ignoring.
Current UK guidelines as at May 4th
California State Guidelines

I get that we all miss our families and our friends.I understand that it's hard to stay away from those we love. I understand that staying in isolation by oneself can be damaging to someone's mental health. I also know that I am in a better situation than others--I have my child, and husband to keep me company, and we have a beautiful garden to enjoy, but I know people who have it worse than I do and are doing their best to adhere to the rules set out by governing bodies.

My friend Stacey lives on the top floor of a building of flats, with no garden, no balcony. The closest she has to outside on her doorstep is sunbathing on the fire escape, so fair play she's making the best of a bad situation. Before things got bad, I was thinking she could come over to my house to do Yoga (she would bypass the house and go straight into the back garden--she would set her mat out on one side of the decking and me on the other side which would be about 3 metres apart I reckon), but in the end I gave up on the idea because that would mean both of us bending the rules to our will. Instead she makes the most of her daily walk set out by the government, and does online exercise classes on Zoom.

Also, my mother is an empty-nester, who also lost her husband a little over a year ago, so she is totally alone and coming off the back of the emotional trauma of losing the person most close to her. She's also a social butterfly who regularly goes out to social events-- book clubs, lunches with friends, Mahjong group, etc. and she has stopped going to all of them and elected to stay home and do Zoom/Skype calls where she can. There was once a thought of her going to stay with one of my brothers and his family so she wouldn't be alone, but since he is a key worker he didn't want to risk bringing COVID19 home to her. I am so incredibly proud of my mother, who even though it is lonely and despairing, she stays home--Safe.

The point I'm trying to make is that people need to adhere to the guidelines set out by their governing bodies. In the end, if the rate of infection spikes we will be in lock down for a lot longer than we need to because someone decided they are above the law. I'll get off my soapbox now....