Why You Shouldn’t Break The COVID-19 Rules

COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, has caused a stir in 218 countries and territories. It has infected almost 68 million people all around the world, which (to put that into perspective) is more than the population of the United Kingdom, which was recorded at roughly 66.65 million in 2019. As for deaths, more than 1.5 million people around the world have unfortunately died due to the virus.

Those that have died are more than likely elderly, vulnerable or both. They are peoples sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, even great relatives. So, many people have been forced to grieve this year, some for people that they didn’t think they would lose so soon. Thus, the title of this article; Why You Shouldn’t Break The COVID-19 Rules.

I, myself, live in the same household as someone who is classed as ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’. This has caused a massive strain on my family, who have been forced to be more cautious than a lot of our other family and friends. So, when I see Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook stories of you seeing your friends or your partner during a national lock down, it does take a massive toll on me. Why? Because my vulnerable family member has had to miss practically a whole year of school in one of their most important years.

If you are one of those people that broke the rules during the second national lock down in the UK, let me ask you this; was it worth it? Was it worth the increased risk of transferring the virus onto someone whom may be more greatly affected?

Of course, I understand that mental health is an important factor into why some people break the rules, but what about the mental health of those people that have been forced to shield for months on end? Is their mental and physical health not as important?

I would like to use Australia as an example. Australia recorded only 9 new cases yesterday (07/12/2020) which is compared to the UK’s new cases which was recorded at 17,272. I’ve done the math. We recorded 17,263 more cases than Australia did, and this fact scares me.

Some may say that this is the governments fault and, to an extent, I agree. We were in the first national lock down for roughly 3 months and this should have been enough time to get the cases all the way down to practically zero (considering the virus only lives in people for the average of 2 weeks). So why didn’t it work? Why are there still thousands of cases being reported every day?

Mainly people between the ages of 18–30 decided that they wouldn’t listen to the rules that were forced upon us. These rules included ‘only go out if necessary’ and ‘the rule of 6’. That said, there were some people in this age group that took the pandemic seriously and didn’t see anyone other than their household. They are the ones to thank for the drop in cases over the summer and the safety of a lot of our vulnerable and elderly citizens.

The second national lock down came too late, some may say, and I think that this has been proven in the steady case numbers. The numbers don’t seem to be increasing which is, of course, a relief for many people. But the numbers aren’t necessarily decreasing either. This means that the schools, Universities and work places that were forced to stay open during Lock down 2 were in great trouble of having outbreaks.

Christmas is a time of year that everyone looks forward to. But, as we already know, this year is going to be a little different. People will be forced to stay away from vulnerable family members, possibly leaving them alone for the duration of the Christmas period.

The government has said that you can spend 5 days, over the festive period, with people outside of your household, but please let me be one of the first to say, that you shouldn’t feel pressured to do so. Family is, of course, an important factor in a lot of people’s lives. But that said, the virus isn’t going to just disappear for 5 days. It will still be around and it is still possible that you can pass it onto the older people in your family.

What I hope you have learnt from this article is that we need to start thinking about the vulnerable and elderly, and how our actions are effecting both their mental and psychical health. So, before you invite your partner in, before you meet up with 7 other people, think about those that are extremely vulnerable that are locked away and can’t go anywhere.