I’m at that stage of lockdown where strange days have become the new normal.
Yes, it is now normal to cross the street if I see someone coming my way. I pre-empt if they’re older folks or folks with children, otherwise it’s a case of who moves first. Yes, it is now normal to cautiously approach and peer around corners if there’s no clear line of sight. It’s also now normal to wait in long queues for supermarkets with few people in them. Normal to peer into corner shops before entering to check there’s noone else I might come within in a socially inappropriate distance of.
On the plus side, the socially inappropriate distance is a little greater than it used to be, especially in London.
It’s normal to always carry hand gel when leaving the house.
It’s not yet normal to wear a mask. On the whole I’m not intending to where one when I’m outside, but could be a different story when shopping. At the moment I’m using a buff that covers my nose and mouth.
I’m also getting used to my multiple short walks a day. A good way to break up concentrated work.
And it was an exciting day. I had a visit from some friends. They were out for a walk and happened to find themselves nearby so gave me a call and then popped by. It was of course a socially distanced chat on my front stairs.
And I do all of this in the midst of a global pandemic, and at least for the UK, continued lockdown though with some easing of the rules in England. In the short term, it’s grim again. Another 545 have died, bringing the total to 35,341. The numbers are usually up on Tuesday due to delays in reporting over the weekend, but it’s not good news. But adding in the number of excess deaths from the Office of National Statistics, the numbers are be much higher – thus far these additional deaths only go up to 8 May. However, the trends are showing a week on week decline.
Government is starting to get a real battering when it comes to deaths in care homes and clear delays in responding in a timely way to address the challenges that we knew about from other countries including Italy.
In the longer term, the social and economic impacts are looking grim. In March, a staggering 850k+ people were made unemployed, in spite of all the various support packages for business from government. But hey, they’ve announced a new Pick for Britain website to support agriculture…
So that’s it for Day 57. Stay safe, stay well, and stay home!