London – Day 31 of lockdown

If anything today was to go by, we’ve got many more months of lockdown to go.

I didn’t manage to leave my flat until 5pm. I’d been caught up with work and a couple of video conferences. All the ways to potentially videoconference and I’m still never quite sure if I need to look professional i.e. show my face, or do it via phone. I prepare anyway. At least the top half. The bottom half is generally my gym kit.

I walked down the street. Caught up with a neighbour who was on her front stairs with her daughters and cat who was dressed up with a pink hoody, cat size. I had the need for a cat cuddle but couldn’t. At this time of year, on my side of the street, the stairs are the best place for catching the sun. The cat gets it too even though she never generally comes out front.

My neighbour had the need for a bit of a venting. She’d been in one of the local supermarkets. One of the smaller ones because to go to the nearest big supermarket generally requires a lot of patience and a long wait. She was at the checkout. She had a man with a face mask standing a little too close. There are markers on the floor to indicate the gap you should leave between you and someone else. This guy was way over the mark.

She asked this guy to stand back. Politely. He then had a go at her as being irresponsible because she wasn’t wearing a mask. He refused to move back to give her more space.

And I’ve noticed a little of this when out. While most people are very conscious of social distancing and doing what they can, there are a few, and a few of these are mask wearers, who I can only imagine think because they’re wearing generally a flimsy surgical type mask, that social distancing no longer applies. This worries me. That perhaps wearing a mask is giving a lot of people a false sense of security. Something has gone wrong in the messaging.

The other thing I noticed was the number of people lounging about in Dulwich Park. I saw one group of five people sitting on picnic chairs, each a good metre and a half away from each other, having a chat. In normal times, this would of course be about friends meeting up in the park having a lovely catch up on an absolutely glorious evening. These days it’s a problem.

A few minutes later, I saw a three guys sitting on park benches close to each other, each having a beer. The tape that had been put on the benches to stop people sitting on them had been removed some days back. Again, I’m making the assumption that as there was a larger gap between them than would be the case in normal times, that they weren’t from the same household.

I don’t know if it’s a case of the weather. I don’t know if it’s a case that we may have already hit the peak, at least in London, so it’s now people feel it’s time to relax.

I’m not generally someone who cares that much about what other people get up to. Obviously there are exceptions. But this time I do care. I do want to be able to get back to Australia to see elderly relatives this year. I do want to be able to sit in a café or go to a pub. I’m not really a pub sort of person but once this is all over, I think I’ll be spending some time in a few.

I don’t want to experience rage on an almost daily basis because of the lack of PPE, for what’s happening in care homes, for all of those stuck in awful households, sad for all those who are really struggling financially, emotionally, sad for all of those who have lost someone due to this bloody virus.  I want this to end.

It will come in waves. We’ll have restrictions, they’ll be reduced a little, we’ll see what happens. This is just the first wave. Release the valve too early, we’re screwed. What’s needed is a vaccine. Some clinical trials are starting up here and in other countries. But all indications are that a vaccine will take 12 to 18 months.

And for me, I take it day by day. I’ve gone back to watching familiar things on Netflix – the Vicar of Dibley, Buffy. There’s something comforting about the familiar.

So that’s it for Day 31. Stay safe, stay well, and stay home!