Why are people not being sensible on walks?
We're in a pandemic where we have to be really careful not to exchange germs. I can rarely go on a walk for the daily exercise we are allowed, due to no longer being able to drive to nicer places than the ugly estate where I live. I have postnatal PGP (I'll write more on this in a later post) and as I've just found out, hip dysplasia. I can't walk more than 20 minutes without extreme pain and my hips seize up. When I push myself to walk to woodland, which is about 25 mins walk away, I'm finding selfish people mean I can't enjoy it.
Don't get my wrong, there are some pleasant human beings out there and it's wonderful to see people sticking to social distancing etc. However, I'm sorry to report that amongst those few lovely people are the usual thoughtless people.
The thoughtless people do things that in our previous normal world pre-pandemic, might have been acceptable or even welcome. Where germs are spreading like wildfire and we're all under threat of a killer virus, some behaviour should now be clearly not okay.
My three most hated behaviours I have seen while trying to appreciate the countryside:
1. People walking their dogs off the lead. Now honestly, I completely adore all animals (except creepy crawlies, they can fuck right off). The virus can spread via pets and they have not thought this through in their tiny brains. If someone was a grubby troll and sneezed into their hands, then stroked their dog or the dog licks their hands, then another person strokes the dog, bingo! The virus gleefully gets another victim. Unlikely, you may think, but it increases the risk and why purposefully do that? Normally I would be happy to stroke a dog that has bounded up to me. Not last week I wasn't. Several dogs were wanting to jump up and lick me and my 9 month old son. Even when they weren't, they were running all around us with one running past all wet and shaking off from a pond.
2. Runners. Not all runners, but most that I see seem to want to run right past me and my son so close that they are almost touching us. Runners also breathe more heavily, puffing out germs everywhere. I've no idea why they think social distancing doesn't apply to them, can someone explain it to me please?
3. Cyclists. Sorry but not sorry. They are exactly the same as runners. See point 2.
Some would say I've no need to worry as I'm not in the vulnerable categories of being over 70 years old or with underlying health conditions. I believe I'm more worried than I would be because I'm a new mummy and I worry about my baby an indescribable amount. Also, I don't have any family, even before lockdown, who could help look after my son, so he is relying entirely on me and my boyfriend. My other concern is that the virus is new and not following the rules we've imposed on it. It's killing quite a number of people who are under 70, including children (which has got me tearful thinking of those poor little ones and their families), who had no apparent underlying conditions. It's not predictable and I don't mind admitting I'm terrified. So, I don't want unnecessary risk. Oh and I do have high blood pressure as does my boyfriend, which is risky. Even with a healthy person, we don't know how our bodies are going to react to the virus.
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