Pandemic Phrases – 20 Phrases I Never Want to Hear Again!

There isn’t really a lot to say that it is positive about 2020 is there and now 2021? We are still in the middle of a global pandemic and I still remember writing this back in March 2020. We are in January 2021 and not a lot has changed, apart from some brief relaxations to the rules and regaining a little more freedom. I often have to pinch myself. Remember what I can and can’t do. Remember it is not a dream, and all real! But us humans do adapt and we do get on with it. Well, we have to!  What always happens in any new situation is we develop new phrases, new buzzwords and the Covid-19 pandemic is absolutely no different. If you are anything like me, you hate them and you will never to want to hear again again EVER after this pandemic. You listen to people spout them, you read about them and cringe or grimace or yell at the news. Pandemic Phrases from 2020 have made Covid-19 even worse!

We finally succumbed to Covid-19 at the start of 2021 and although it wasn’t severe it still wasn’t fun!

You may enjoy my post on Our Mild Experience of Covid for some reassurance.

Or How To Prepare for Isolation as a Family.

Anyway, back to Pandemic Phrases

See what I mean and let me know in the comments if you have anymore that you detest!

Pandemic Phrases That I HATE!

I’m sure you will be joining me in the dislike of the first off many pandemic phrases of 2020.

– Lockdown – full lockdown, half lockdown, local lockdown, relaxing lockdown..this one has been the toughest. When the concept of lockdown was mentioned, when happening abroad, I never thought it would really happen and it did. When it started to come around again, I just felt rage. Almost like a child screaming at their parents, “you can’t tell ME what to do!!” again. But they can sadly and I never want to be put in this situation or hear that word ever again when this is over. Taking away your freedom to see friends and family was the hardest. Part of me wonders how many lockdown phrases we could come up with but that really is another post!

– Shielding – a shield to me is a huge piece of metal that stops you getting an arrow or sword shoved into your torso and getting killed, so I can see why it was adapted for those who need to isolate and are vulnerable. However, I can’t imagine being in that situation and I really felt for those who had to shield. I’m sure like me, they never want anyone to tell “them to shield” ever again!

– Social Distancing – when Chris Whitty said we may have to social distance until 2021, I was ready to boot my laptop out of the window. I seems to bizarre to keep 2m away from everyone and really hard! I can’t now remember when I last hugged a friend. I hate the way this word is spewed out on the news daily. I’ve ever seen slogan tees with it on! It will be incredible to have no-one ever tell me to do this again.

– Second Wave, third wave…any wave!!! – I swear back in May when we had VE Day and the bank holidays, may Facebook was full of people raving about how a second wave was coming in two weeks time. It never did, it came when it was most likely to; when more and more restrictions were lifted. People were obsessed and so convinced it would happen before. Facebook virologists eh? I only ever want to hear the word wave when saying hello or goodbye to someone or if the kids bring a physics lesson home!

 -Measures in place – Frankly I’m sick of measures. I’m sick of being told what to do. I’m sick of people “putting in measures” that take away my freedom. I know they are necessary but reading the phrase, especially when more are on the way, is soul destroying.

– Unprecedented – It feels like everything is unprecedented as the Government don’t seem to have a clue what is ever going on.

– Next Slide Please – I love Chris Whitty but the constant “next slide pleases” either makes me laugh or groan!

– Grim Milestone – I read the BBC news a lot and every time we hit a certain number of Covid cases or sadly deaths it is always described as a “grim milestone”. Think of another phrase please.

– Wear a mask – we don’t need them. We do need them. We don’t need them in shops. We do. Masks mandatory at school. They make you hot, they steam up your glasses. If you don’t wash them, they are minging. We wear them of course but I’ll be binning mine, the minute we can!

– Hands, Face, Space – another one that drives me mad. I know we need to think about it all the time but it was be one I will be ready to lose when the time comes.

– Covid Safe – this phrase to me is the most ambiguous, as I think unless anyone is in PPE, this is never going to happen. The schools are meant to be Covid-safe and really? If this was the case no bugs would spread and no kids would have had a cold. You do your best to reduce the risk but that’s it, so maybe “Covid-done- everything-we-can-to-reduce-the-risk-but-never-fully-safe” would be better?

– Tiers – I don’t ever want to be in a tier again and like so many memes have said on social media, the only tiers I care about are on a cake!!

– R Number – I often wonder do they really know what this number accurately is. It’s thrown around all over and I know it’s useful and a good measure of the trajectory of a disease but the thought of how many people could get something if one person coughs near you is pretty grim.

– Zoom Drinks – Zoom drinks were ok. They kind of put a bandage on missing seeing friends at the pub and for meals but for me it will never be the same. I find you end up talking over people in a group and I’d much rather have a face-to-face. Bye bye Zoom after the pandemic! I’m going out. I actually do quite fancy make up and getting dressed.

2020 Words I Never Want To Hear Again

– “There’s been an uptick” – in the early days whenever the cases started to rise this annoying phrase came out. Forget uptick, it’s rising and probably because we haven’t all been doing as we are told.

– Blended Learning – kids are meant to be in school and I am not a teacher at all! For me and my daughter (she has told me), even some time with home learning is not fun. I would rather stick pins in my eyes and I hope when this is all over, nobody EVER suggests we do this again.

or even worse

– Home Schooling – full-time school at home? No way! Those who do it deserve a medal, as I tell you know if I’m not cut out for blended learning, I’m certainly not cut out for home schooling. Watching my eldest take 1 hour to write a decent sentence? Not for me!

– Track and Trace – From what I’ve read it doesn’t seem to have worked so well. People are not adhering to it and I feel very weird filling in a form when going into a bar or pub! I don’t want to be tracked and traced so can’t wait to see the back of this.

– Self Isolate – one in 5 people are doing it when they should. 14 days not leaving the house. It’s a tough deal. I used to joke about quarantining the kids the weeks before we went on holidays or before Christmas and I don’t think I ever will again. I never want to worry about isolating again for a very long time, if at all. Unless it’s a spa, forget it!

– When this is all over…. – but when will it be all over? I don’t think anyone really knows yet they say it a lot! Let’s hope not much longer!

I know we are probably going to have to live with these words for a little while longer yet until after this pandemic! We are definitely “not out of the woods” (that’s another one there!)

For now I’ll just have to roll my eyes when I hear my favourite buzzwords, do as I’m told and get on with it! I know in years to come, I’ll look back on this list and smile (I hope!)

Can you add anymore to my list of pandemic phrases 2020?