| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? 08:53 - May 4 with 1215 views | GeoffSentence |
I've been thinking about this for myself and even though I am a pretty introverted sort of bloke who is quite happy at home and has been working from home for over a decade, the number of contacts that I have with other people must have dropped massively over the last few weeks.
Playing five a side footy would be 9 other obvious contacts, more than double that when taking into account the other people we pass outside the sports hall.
There's a dozen people in my french class and more than twice as many that I would bump into at coffee break.
On football weekends there are all the people in the pub and the ground itself Tthen there are people in the restaurants and the occasional cinema visit and of course the shops and other pub visits.
Now it is just my immediate family, the occasional delivery and a handful of people that I pass by quickly on my daily Boris approved exercise.
So, I reckon my human contacts must have dropped by hundreds a week and I would generally have less contact with others than normal people, being a bit hermitty by nature. [Post edited 4 May 2020 8:54]
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| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 09:01 - May 4 with 1184 views | itfcjoe |
I don't see that many in a working week, some weeks can be 2 or 3 but others can be 30 or 40 in that regard so hard to tell.
A day at week at uni is dozens of people, and then football and all that entails with the pub etc |  |
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| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 09:39 - May 4 with 1141 views | hoppy |
It’s almost like we’re all becoming Norwich fans with the lack of contact outside our own families, isn’t it? |  |
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| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 09:42 - May 4 with 1126 views | m14_blue |
Likewise, I’m not a massive socialite but not working and cutting out sport etc has reduced mine from way over 100 to 2. |  | | |
| My social circle is basically split into three areas..... on 09:45 - May 4 with 1125 views | Bloots |
….work socials, local socials and football socials.
I work in the City and would speak to around 50 to 100 people in the office on a regular basis, plus I'd go out after work usually once a week with around 6 or so others.
Plus there'd be company/industry socials every other week or so with larger gatherings.
Obviously none of that is happening.
Locally I'm a regular down the boozer, again another 10 - 20 regulars that I'd spend time with, plus I'd probably go out to dinner with the missus once a week.
I'm quite lucky that my drinking buddy who I share most of my non work social activities with lives literally opposite me, so we catch up from across the road every now and then.
We are considering garden chairs in the front garden and a few beers from opposite sides of the road, the neighbours won't like it though.
From a football perspective there's around a dozen or so people that I'd see regularly, inevitably that's not happening.
The hardest thing for me (and I'm sure many others) is having nothing to look forward to with any real confidence.
Life is crap. |  |
| "The sooner he comes back the better, this place has been a disaster without him" - TWTD User (July 2025) |
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| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 11:25 - May 4 with 1046 views | Ewan_Oozami |
This thread just shows the importance of maintaining that lack of social contact at this moment - just 3 or 4 people could potentially interact with 200+ different people in any given week, and those 200 could meet another x hundred people, and then y thousand - and even then with lockdown and limited contact at supermarkets you can still get situations like hoppy's - coming out of this is not going to be quick and easy I'm afraid.
Personally, with work, sport and football, I'd normally interact with 50+ different people in any given week, now see about 5 (elderly neighbour's wine and food delivery, plus shouting at other neighbours across the green outside our house!) |  |
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| My social circle is basically split into three areas..... on 12:05 - May 4 with 999 views | Ace_High1 |
| My social circle is basically split into three areas..... on 09:45 - May 4 by Bloots |
….work socials, local socials and football socials.
I work in the City and would speak to around 50 to 100 people in the office on a regular basis, plus I'd go out after work usually once a week with around 6 or so others.
Plus there'd be company/industry socials every other week or so with larger gatherings.
Obviously none of that is happening.
Locally I'm a regular down the boozer, again another 10 - 20 regulars that I'd spend time with, plus I'd probably go out to dinner with the missus once a week.
I'm quite lucky that my drinking buddy who I share most of my non work social activities with lives literally opposite me, so we catch up from across the road every now and then.
We are considering garden chairs in the front garden and a few beers from opposite sides of the road, the neighbours won't like it though.
From a football perspective there's around a dozen or so people that I'd see regularly, inevitably that's not happening.
The hardest thing for me (and I'm sure many others) is having nothing to look forward to with any real confidence.
Life is crap. |
Your second but last Line "The hardest thing for me (and I'm sure many others) is having nothing to look forward to with any real confidence", is the hardest part for me. Having no idea when we get back to "normal" is hard.
I know there is no answer but I think I would be absolutely fine for another 2 months of this, if I knew by July for example I could get back outside doing everything I had planned pre-lockdown. |  | | |
| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 12:15 - May 4 with 989 views | footers |
It's difficult to put a number on it, but just thinking about indirect social contacts... On a normal day I'd be playing sardines on a train carriage, so what's that? 50-60 people in a tin can? Then a coffee at rush hour, so add another 20-30 people in a confined space. Then off to work all day in a ~350-seat office.
After work it might be a trip to the pub and off somewhere to eat, so add another 50-60 people.
Since the lockdown I basically only see my housemates and the fellas who run the local shop.
Just thinking of the difference in the two numbers is incredible and more reason to abide by the current rules. I know these figures will be much larger for metropolitan elites such as myself, but they are symptomatic of what could happen should people not behave themselves. [Post edited 4 May 2020 12:17]
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| My social circle is basically split into three areas..... on 12:21 - May 4 with 971 views | Dubtractor |
| My social circle is basically split into three areas..... on 09:45 - May 4 by Bloots |
….work socials, local socials and football socials.
I work in the City and would speak to around 50 to 100 people in the office on a regular basis, plus I'd go out after work usually once a week with around 6 or so others.
Plus there'd be company/industry socials every other week or so with larger gatherings.
Obviously none of that is happening.
Locally I'm a regular down the boozer, again another 10 - 20 regulars that I'd spend time with, plus I'd probably go out to dinner with the missus once a week.
I'm quite lucky that my drinking buddy who I share most of my non work social activities with lives literally opposite me, so we catch up from across the road every now and then.
We are considering garden chairs in the front garden and a few beers from opposite sides of the road, the neighbours won't like it though.
From a football perspective there's around a dozen or so people that I'd see regularly, inevitably that's not happening.
The hardest thing for me (and I'm sure many others) is having nothing to look forward to with any real confidence.
Life is crap. |
"The hardest thing for me (and I'm sure many others) is having nothing to look forward to with any real confidence."
100% agree with this. I'm fine for now, but the creeping suspicion that it is staying this way for a while is pretty bleak.
In terms of social interactions I'm massively down, used to play football once a week, work in a busy office, go to a gig every two weeks or so, catch up with my group of friend over beer/curry/pizza etc at least every two weeks.
Its just a bloody relief that this didn't happen in January as I would have gone mad cooped up over winter in the dark..... |  |
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| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 13:18 - May 4 with 920 views | factual_blue |
| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 09:39 - May 4 by hoppy |
It’s almost like we’re all becoming Norwich fans with the lack of contact outside our own families, isn’t it? |
Fancy a scrimmage? |  |
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| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 13:25 - May 4 with 907 views | hoppy |
| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 13:18 - May 4 by factual_blue |
Fancy a scrimmage? |
We’re not at that level yet... | |
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| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 13:29 - May 4 with 895 views | factual_blue |
| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 11:25 - May 4 by Ewan_Oozami |
This thread just shows the importance of maintaining that lack of social contact at this moment - just 3 or 4 people could potentially interact with 200+ different people in any given week, and those 200 could meet another x hundred people, and then y thousand - and even then with lockdown and limited contact at supermarkets you can still get situations like hoppy's - coming out of this is not going to be quick and easy I'm afraid.
Personally, with work, sport and football, I'd normally interact with 50+ different people in any given week, now see about 5 (elderly neighbour's wine and food delivery, plus shouting at other neighbours across the green outside our house!) |
Admit it, you just shout at people outside your house anyway, don't you? Probably whilst wearing a singlet and some jogging bottoms of dubious vintage, and even more dubious stains.
Or is that me? | |
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| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 13:33 - May 4 with 890 views | factual_blue |
| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 13:25 - May 4 by hoppy |
We’re not at that level yet... |
Give it another week or so... | |
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| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 13:35 - May 4 with 887 views | Pendejo |
| What difference has lockdown made to the number of social contacts you have? on 12:15 - May 4 by footers |
It's difficult to put a number on it, but just thinking about indirect social contacts... On a normal day I'd be playing sardines on a train carriage, so what's that? 50-60 people in a tin can? Then a coffee at rush hour, so add another 20-30 people in a confined space. Then off to work all day in a ~350-seat office.
After work it might be a trip to the pub and off somewhere to eat, so add another 50-60 people.
Since the lockdown I basically only see my housemates and the fellas who run the local shop.
Just thinking of the difference in the two numbers is incredible and more reason to abide by the current rules. I know these figures will be much larger for metropolitan elites such as myself, but they are symptomatic of what could happen should people not behave themselves. [Post edited 4 May 2020 12:17]
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Taking indirect contacts further...
My place of work also had our chauffeur test area and some of them would come and chat, if they had work on an Emirates flight, all of which are A380s, and we covered all the Heathrow flights...
It puts indirect contacts in the thousands, so was pleased when furloughed. All I needed was another chauffeur telling me they'd just got a £20 more for taking someone who's just arrived from China breathing all over me.
Right now direct and indirect contacts even with exercise / shopping / volunteering can't be more than a few dozen. Risk reduced by liberal use of mask, gloves, reaching and hand gel. |  |
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