Non-compliance with Social Distancing

Nurses COVID

Published

Can anyone share articles, personal experience, advice, tips, tricks, etc... for how to deal with friends and/or family who are ignoring social distancing/ other public health measures with respect to Covid-19? At this point, I am trying to manage my rage ?.

In the meantime, I'm just hoping our government moves forward with "martial law" type measures to take away people's right to be stupid and selfish and endanger the public....and, just put everyone on house arrest.

Specializes in Emergency.

I feel the same way you do… I am in the north east let’s just say… And my state has recently put a stay at home order in place etc...

I can say this: basically nobody is paying attention to that or at least it’s a 50-50 split… Some people are very self-aware and very aware of the situation while other people just- I bet if you ask them wouldn’t even know what you were talking about… As a healthcare worker it makes my head want to explode!??? I’ve been around a while and I really don’t remember the IQ being so low in the general population or simply how self-centered selfish and arrogant the people of the United States are… Or perhaps I was just naïve and didn’t realize it or I realized it and just put it out in the back of my mind somewhere and didn’t think about it even though I experience that every day in the emergency department… Sad

Me and several of my coworkers have been resigned to the fact that we are essentially on our own, the for-profit company that runs the hospital basically changes the PPE protocol at will based on availability, certainly not on science or evidence-based practice, And out in the general public the ignorance reigns supreme… My best bet is to just look out for myself my family and those closest to me. I will say it brings up a lot of anger because boy would I just love to go over and hug and kiss my elderly parents and hug and kiss my friends and I work in an emergency department and I can’t do any of those things… So when I see people just acting like this is nothing it’s no big deal and basically telling the F word to the whole world… You know what I mean… Thanks for your post

If our government sets up a snitching system I'm friggin reporting all these jerks! The blatant disregard for the safety of others really is like a big "*** you" to society as they continue to do as they please. It makes me oscillate between wanting to punch them really hard in the face (with a chair, y'know to maintain social distancing), but it also makes me feel like crying because I think of all the people they're potentially harming; and, I'm watching all my colleagues exhaustedly work to the bone, push through shifts, be isolated from their own friends/family, live in this nightmare, many are getting sick... as healthcare providers, our efforts are all for naught if society isn't doing its part. I would liken it to someone repeatedly punching holes in a bucket that you're trying to fill with water to provide to a village in drought. Can you NOT!

So far, for me personally... it's caused a lot of rifts in relationships. Some I am perfectly fine with because at the end of the day... do I want to be close to someone who doesn't give a **** about others? I just wish I had the skills to help people see why it's so important to follow these public health measures. I'm just beating my head against a wall for now.

Specializes in retired LTC.

to Malamud & Caffeine - yes!

There isn't much more to say.

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

People on facebook are freaking out in the comments on an article about playgrounds being closed. "But where will my children play?" How about at home away from others?

Specializes in NICU.

Like they said in the movie the other woman--I feel a real American rage!!

I could belt a few no many in the head for selfishness and stupidity.Nurses are working in soul destroying conditions,and more patients coming in,..all because they below 50 IQ persons will not adhere to CDC warnings,nor the governor,no even love for grandpa and grandma.

Chump Lady is one of the websites I visit. A couple of days ago someone wrote for advice about coparenting with an ex with no regard to quarantine. She was worried about her child staying with her ex. The comments painted a picture of many selfish exes the readers knew.

Some people don't believe experts; they know better than everyone. Some people feel entitled to get what they want regardless of anyone else. Some people have a "you're not the boss of me!" Attitude and enjoy their defiance. Of course when things go wrong, entitled people will blame others and expect a quick fix.

8 hours ago, RNperdiem said:

Chump Lady is one of the websites I visit. A couple of days ago someone wrote for advice about coparenting with an ex with no regard to quarantine. She was worried about her child staying with her ex. The comments painted a picture of many selfish exes the readers knew.

Some people don't believe experts; they know better than everyone. Some people feel entitled to get what they want regardless of anyone else. Some people have a "you're not the boss of me!" Attitude and enjoy their defiance. Of course when things go wrong, entitled people will blame others and expect a quick fix.

Thank you for sharing! I went and read that post, "Coronavirus and Co-Parenting with F....wits"

OH DEAR GOD! I feel for that woman and I hope she gets primary custody. There are no words. I am enraged on behalf of anyone being put in a situation like that.

I'm an RN and I ignored that social distancing nonsense. Go find someone and stand six feet apart from them. It's a far distance. When you are in an office building or a room that is flat-out not going to happen. People are going to get tired of this media-driven hysteria and will eventually tune it out because they have gone from alarm and anxiety to just annoyance.

2 minutes ago, Naturally Brilliant said:

I'm an RN and I ignored that social distancing nonsense. Go find someone and stand six feet apart from them. It's a far distance. When you are in an office building or a room that is flat-out not going to happen. People are going to get tired of this media-driven hysteria and will eventually tune it out because they have gone from alarm and anxiety to just annoyance.

I think Allnurses.com is being trolled by Donald Trump. ?

@Naturally Brilliant I find your perspective, especially since you claim to be an RN, to be exceptionally ignorant and alarming. Where are you getting your facts? These public health measures are rooted in science/epidemiological studies...it've been proven that distancing measures alone produce a median reduction in the cumulative transmission rates in the general population.

At least you acknowledge that it's my perspective. I am not buying CNN's endless alarmism. If this social distancing stuff was working then the incidence rate wouldn't be skyrocketing the way it is. Regardless of what you think of this coronavirus outbreak or what you think of my perspective on it, I can say that I respect your right to your opinions. All in all, I think we'll end up adjusting in the long run to Coronavirus like we have with the flu. Even that Dr. Fauci guy is now saying it'll be a seasonal virus. It is what it is. Unlike let's say, an STD, I would feel zero guilt about getting this coronavirus personally because I would have no idea what event caused it to happen. Would I want to get it? Obviously no. But I am not going to stress out over something I cannot definitively control. Again, my perspective and you are welcome to disagree respectfully to that!

16 minutes ago, Naturally Brilliant said:

At least you acknowledge that it's my perspective. I am not buying CNN's endless alarmism. If this social distancing stuff was working then the incidence rate wouldn't be skyrocketing the way it is. Regardless of what you think of this coronavirus outbreak or what you think of my perspective on it, I can say that I respect your right to your opinions. All in all, I think we'll end up adjusting in the long run to Coronavirus like we have with the flu. Even that Dr. Fauci guy is now saying it'll be a seasonal virus. It is what it is. Unlike let's say, an STD, I would feel zero guilt about getting this coronavirus personally because I would have no idea what event caused it to happen. Would I want to get it? Obviously no. But I am not going to stress out over something I cannot definitively control. Again, my perspective and you are welcome to disagree respectfully to that!

Let's see, apart from having a rigorous academic background, and having been a Nurse for over a decade in various acute care clinical roles...I'm currently working on a MSc in epidemiology, and working for our Public Health authority. So, I'd say I have more of a leg to stand on this than you. You've been nursing for 4 years? in psych?

These measures are NOT propaganda, and you need to be careful about disseminating misinformation because your actions/attitudes can cause harm to the public. Is that your goal?

If you ever want to have an offline conversation about it, I would welcome the opportunity to change your perspective.

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