Lockdown - affected badly, a bit, not much or better off

[Saracen999]

A conversation with friend the other day made something very clear to me - the lockdown has had very differing effects on people depending on their circumstances.

Note - I don't mean Covid19. That, obviously, has been devastating to those that lost family, friends and so on. But it's Covid that's been taking lives, not the lockdown.

I mean specifically the lockdown.

How has it affected you?

For us, for a start, we're financially a bit better off. Mainly, this is because expenditure has gone down as a result of working from home instead of commuting. Also, cooking more and eating out less. So financially, we're up.

But it's also been .... mixed .... psychologically.

We've seen friends and family less, which is hard, and Zoom etc notwithstanding, isn't the same. On the other hand, being effectively forced to slow down, do less and do different things is .... interesting.

I'm certainly enjoying the quiet (lack of planes, traffic, etc) and apparently louder birdsong in the garden. It's like my ears developed some kind of noise-cancelling capability for man-made noise and it's .... nice. Restful. Soul-recharging.

There's a lot that personally I like. But while lack of planes and less eating out is nice for us, it isn't so hot if your job depends on air travel or restaurants.

There are going to be winners, but a lot of very large losers.

How has it affected you, now that it's easing off?

Good? Neutral? Disaster?

Because a large chunk of the future of this country will depend on how we support the latter group, and I'm not sure I see government taking that challenge up ... yet.

[TeePee]

I've lost a friend to suicide this week. The idea that the lockdown hasn't been deadly is entirely wrong.

My industry will see 30% unemployment this year.

[[GSV]Trig]

Well I'm still at home and everyone is still breathing so we're ok so far...

[Apex]

Furlough since start of June, back on 1st July - £300 ish down on wage - every increase i have had for the last 10yrs vanished in a instant (thought its better to have a job then no job)

Last month on furlough, things i use to care about and think where important, turns out they are a crock of poo.

Started to spend time on the free e-learning that MS/Google/VMware/ etc provide - finally waking upto the fact work where never going to invest in any of use to keep our skills relevant.

Not seen any of my family since March and this bothers me.

Not seen 95% of my work colleague's and this doesn't both me at all any more.

Looming work force reduction when the hours reduction doesn't work (they are going to try to swap us to working 9 day fortnight - i think they forgot the DC Team work 7 days a week 364 days a year)

Industry that looks like it will tank for the next 12-18 months and the long term effect this will have will be felt wide.

Banks shrinking they LTV on mortgages basically meaning that i will never get leg up on that; just shy of 15k saved and with the banks moving to 75% LTV well you can see thats me stopped dead in tracks

A lot of my midterm to long term plans being turned on their head.

I think this sums up shortly how it is for me

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/slowfast

[g8ina]

Due to my fibromyalgia, Ive pretty much been on a sort of lockdown since 2001 !

So, I've not been affected by the lockdown at all, however, Sally, my OH hated the 3 weeks she couldnt leave the house as she was shielding with her diabetes.

Fortunately, her work (residential home for adults with acquired brain injuries) made a point of reviewing her risk assessment and rearranged some things to facilitate her going back to work early.

[Rob_B]

Hoo-boy, can of mixed worms for me...

Saving a fortune on commute and lunch costs. Spending said fortune on DIY & the garden.

I can't get out in the boat with my club so the rowing machine is my new best friend.

My family live 300 miles away so no change there, the in laws we've seen twice since March instead of weekly and I won't be talked into commenting on that...

Work is a pain, motivation is hard to muster and the 'banter' (sorry) of the office is sorely missed. I'm looking forward to getting back but it'll likley be next year.
All the training I have planned (Spark/Python/Tableau) is ready and waiting for me online but I'm procrastinating like a mofo


BUT...I'm really lucky to have an understanding employer and I 100% agree with the lockdown, my position is a lot safer than many others so I feel bad when complaining !


P.S. Hello folks

[AGTDenton]

Having been ill (not with coronavirus) for coming up to 3 months has meant I skipped any emotional attachment to the whole Covid thing. My focus has solely been on me trying to get better, which has occupied both body & mind, everything else has been completely secondary.

In a strange way my employer and I were lucky my illness happened during lockdown, they would have had to get a temp in for a project that was about to go live as I got ill, and had they found someone better or cheaper I could have been made redundant, but thankfully the project haulted.
I really do have to be thankful during the whole time I was off for being paid normally and kept on. How many small employers would be able to put up with 3 months sick leave and would I have ever been paid had it been normal times...
I don't even think the Government would have helped much so I'm exceptionally grateful to my employer.

Being in the Retail sector the rocky road begins now. With Intu and a handful of retailers collapsing how much more is lurking behind the scenes, the struggle to make it to Christmas for shops this year is big.


Since the vast majority of us have been in lockdown has anyone missed going to the shops enough that they would revert to going back as regularly or more regularly as they did before lockdown? Or has the majority now converted completely to the whole online shopping experience that going into a shopping centre is no longer necessary

Certainly the future of bricks & mortar is under threat yet again

I'm very much an introvert anyway, I dont do crowds or gatherings, I'm one of those that would go to a 24hr supermarket to do my shopping at 2am. So I can find things to occupy myself indoors very easily, mentally hasn't made any impact.

[ik9000]

I've lost a friend to suicide this week.

I'm sorry for your loss. PM if you need/want to.

[Saracen999]

I've lost a friend to suicide this week. The idea that the lockdown hasn't been deadly is entirely wrong.

I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm not looking for comment on what happened in such a moment of grief but I can't help but wonder if there's more to that than just lockdown. I'd be surprised if lockdown alone was behind that. Not that it matters in your loss.

My sympathies, TeePee.

[g8ina]

Oh flip, sorry TeePee, I missed that, my condolences sir

[Zak33]

As adults my wife and i are ok

i worry for my boy now - he is now more keen than any kid in history to be AT SCHOOL

Home schooling is tough, hes "at" a good school, and most days he's set enough work to push him to 3pm, so they've sussed the work load very well.....
but we are not teachers, though luckily my skills and my missus overlap little , so we can normally hep him enough.....but not like a classroom and teacher can

He's out for an hour every few days with local friends on bikes and walking but not enough

PS4 is hell and heaven in equal measure and NEVER has gaming control by parents been so essential! the laughter issuing forth on voice comms makes me happy....friends in 2020 game remotely....lets face it HEXUS Community is remore and we all have friends here.....but theres a limit to be found!

ive got him an old school Tamiya Grasshoper which has been superb.....and a new skateboard is inbound!!

[Spud1]

I've lost a friend to suicide this week.

Sorry for your loss, it's hard at the best of times but even moreso now.

The lockdown has been mixed for me, but largely positive.

The bad stuff first - lost my gran to covid and the lockdown just made that harder, weird funeral etc. Only other real negative has been not being able to see my girlfriend for 3 months, but finally we've been able to see each other again since the "bubble" thing started, albeit still fairly carefully given that she is a Nurse and comes into contact with cov-19 patients regularly.

Everything else, for me personally, has been hugely positive. I still have my job and can work from home, and my sector tends to do well in recessions due to us making & selling "cost down" software (i.e. clients always save money using our tools), so we've not had to furlough anyone to date.
My expenses are much lower, but income the same - I estimate my expenses have dropped by around 30%, maybe a little more, which is really helping to build a savings pot for the inevitable times to come. Just renewed car insurance which is 50% of last year's price (saves me £500 there!) so that's another boost.

Mentally I have always preferred my own company, so in may ways it's a dream for me - no need for social contact which is brilliant. No weddings to have to attend out of respect, no pub crawls that I really can't be bothered with, no family parties to sit through...it's great! Add to that the fact that some work friendships have turned into "real" ones through gaming after hours, and I could go as far as to say my social life has improved since lockdown.

People don't even look down on me/comment on me for doing my food shopping online anymore, or for wanting to avoid public transport wherever possible etc...

Genuinely has been a positive experience, and since we're likely to be in this state for a long time to come..that's a good thing. (No matter what Mr Cummings is currently directing Boris to say, we're no where near the end of this and should still be under full lockdown)....

I do know however that I am incredibly lucky to be in this situation - financially and mentally - and that many are not.

[Saracen999]

Agree big-time on a couple of points, Spud.

First, l'm lucky to be modestly better off but lots are unlucky and seriously worse off. Devastatingly so, sometimes.

Second, lockdown lifting isn't the end of Covid troubles. Merely the end of the beginning of them. If, and a big "if" an effective vaccine is found soon, we might get away with minimum further trouble but some is already locked in, like (IMHO) finding out just how bad unemployment is going to get when furoughing lifts.

If they don't find an effective vaccine, and soon, masks and so on could be with us for years.


Even more worrying is what if Covid is merely the warm-up act for something really nasty, i.e. something highly infectious, transmissable and Ebola-level deadly? We've seen viruses with one of those three many times but we'll probably only see something with all three just the once. It could be a near-extinction level evemt, or at least lifestyle-changjng worthy of a horror/disaster movie. And it could happen next week .... or never.

Judging by recent performance, by the time we wake up to the danger it could be too late. Still, as long as we can zap all over the planet for a few dsys on the beach on cheap holidays, what the hell, eh?

And for my next cheerful thought .....

[Spreadie]

Even more worrying is what if Covid is merely the warm-up act for something really nasty, i.e. something highly infectious, transmissable and Ebola-level deadly? We've seen viruses with one of those three many times but we'll probably only see something with all three just the once. It could be a near-extinction level evemt, or at least lifestyle-changjng worthy of a horror/disaster movie. And it could happen next week .... or never.

The thing with Covid-19 is that it's difficult to map - victims remain asymptomatic for up to a couple of weeks, or even longer.

Ebola and the like tend to burn faster so, even with a high mortality rate, outbreaks can be tracked quicker. That usually helps containment.

[Smudger]

I've got a mixed bag. I'm financially far better off - just goes to show how much needless stuff I was buying - even though my wife's been made redundant. My wife says I'm much quicker to anger and much snappier, so I'm trying to deal with this. The worst thing is that my 6-year old can't see his grandparents as much, and when he does, can't get a cuddle. He's back at school though, which is good for his mental health...

[Kovoet]

Lost one holiday this year. Booked another for July and now have to worry again. If these idiot protesters and so on and so on could just behave we could get our our life's together. I am now worried I'm going to lose July's as well now.