Lockdown 2.0
We've had some spectacular weather here in the UK starting from early Spring until now. Long sunny days. I likened it to the spring of 2018 that was probably the warmest springtime I'd ever experienced in this country. We went on to have some of the driest months on record in London and other parts of the country.
This year wasn't quite as dry, or warm, but it was really pleasant. This was one of the only saving graces that made lockdown bearable in the UK. The fact that we could spend time outdoors in gardens, on balconies, or at least with doors and windows open without having to ramp up the heat. I don't think I would have coped so well had the weather not been as good as it was.
Life has returned to about 85% "normal" here now. I can go out to meet people normally. I can go to the pub, cafe, restaurant, bar and even go get a haircut. Yes, I know I haven't taken advantage of the last one there, but I'm feeling my COVID-Fro for now, so :)
We are in the summer vacation period now, but schools did open for the youngest pupils - Nursery, Kindergarten and Reception children, as well as final year students in colleges and universities so they could graduate.
Indeed, some schools carried on through the pandemic lockdown by employing distance learning, but those were few and far between. My niece for instance still had to do homework every school day which was assigned and graded through an app downloaded unto my sister's phone.
The hope/plan was that come September, she'd be able to return to school with the other students. We would have beaten the pandemic by then, so with the proper precautions, things could return to normal.
Unfortunately things aren't looking good for the above plan. It's looking more likely that come September we would be in Lockdown here in London and across the UK. Some cities have already been re-locked as I type this. There were worrying spikes in certain regions of the country, so the government moved to nip it in the bud. Apparently.
The difference this time
A second lockdown will most probably happen starting this Autumn and extending through winter. Winter!. As mentioned above, the fact that we were locked down in good weather meant we could actually be outdoors. The first few weeks felt like some kind of enforced holiday for many people that had the luxury of a garden and a job that still paid.
This time, we are talking about shorter days (or longer nights depending on if you're a cup half full or empty person), cold weather, rain and so on. It will be quite dreary. The garden/balcony will be out of the question for most people, and keeping doors and windows open will mean crazy energy bills.
I'm considering getting one of those fire drums to light up in my garden to provide outdoor heating. Talking of heating, people that use pay-as-you-go gas or electric meters will have to consider a plan to get their cards/dongles charged since many of those have to be done in person at a post office or corner shop.
Hoarding will be different too. Some items one needs during winter are different from those needed in warmer times of the year.
Then you have the fact that COVID will be mixed in with seasonal flu. That's another whole can of worms, probably best reserved for another post.
By the way, this isn't the second wave of COVID that I'm talking about. Yes, that wave is coming too, but this is the tail end of the first wave that will merge with the incoming second wave, leading to an extended period of lockdown.
I'm seriously dreading it if I'm being honest. I'm dreading the reaction of people even more. People are going to absolutely lose their minds this time round. The first one was hard enough but people were able to bare it due to the novelty of the disease and the fear it struck into people. There was also a kind of we're in this together feeling that helped pull us through.
The one positive difference is that now we know a little more about the enemy. For instance we now know that we don't need to pour 100% Ethanol on our hands anymore - basic soap and water are actually more effective. The better information we have now should help calibrate behaviour and hopefully reduce the potential fatalities this time.
Peace & Love,
Adé