Thursday 5 November:

So, the first day of ‘Lockdown2’ – which, mirroring the amazing weather we had at the start of the first Lockdown, turned out to be a beautiful, bright, sunny day. But, somehow, it felt rather different… as I set out for my daily dawn walk, the traffic along Coronation Road was just as busy as usual.
People are obviously far more prepared than last time… shops are far more organised; people are aware of the social distancing rules; face-masks are everyone’s ‘fashion accessory’. But, for some individuals, there’s also a strong sense of “we’ve had enough of this… we don’t care anymore… and, anyway, the ‘rules’ keep being changed and we can’t keep up”.
We always KNEW that, at some stage, the government would end up blaming the population at large for its inability to deal with the pandemic. So it came as absolutely no surprise when today Justice Minister Mr Buckland announced that it was all OUR fault! He remarkably managed to forget all those mixed messages the government had been pumping out for the past several months (‘stay home’/’go back to work’/’back to business’/’act fearlessly’/’world-beating test+trace’/’following the science’/‘turning a blind eye to the science’… and, of course, it was perfectly ok for certain ‘key’ individuals (like Mr Cummings) to ignore the rules. What a huge surprise… the second wave was nothing to do with the government.    
Mr Buckland calmly (but firmly!) acknowledged that it would be a “huge challenge to get the public to follow the strict rules this time”. Damn right it will be! After all the government’s mismanagement of the crisis over the past eight months this felt something of an understatement!
Will the four-week national lockdown in England be ‘successful’? We seem to be living in a strange world of mass national immaturity… in which people seem ready to support the notion that they don’t wish to harm anyone (particularly us oldies!) and yet acting socially as if all the graphs were not going in the wrong direction.
Professor Devi Sidhar seemed to sum up the thoughts of several health experts when she declared: “The UK government’s decision to delay a national lockdown in the hope that this would be easier on the economy defies reality: delaying action has led only to a longer, harsher lockdown. It can feel as though, confronted with this paradox and exhausted by the months of work that lie ahead, the governments is close to giving up without a clear plan or strategy for how to survive in a Covid-19 world”.
I can’t really understand why, after eight months, our so-called Test+Trace system (despite all the government’s initial claims that it was ‘world-beating’!) has been so appallingly inadequate. In my naive head, surely until there’s a REALLY effective, efficient Test+Trace system (which more or less gives instant results) and unless quarantine procedures are PROPERLY followed, then we’ll be back here again quite soon?
Image: pigeons getting into line (lockdown?) on the steam crane.

Wednesday 28 October:

Further reflections on Covid-19… One thing I’ve become increasingly aware of over recent days/weeks is a strange sense that we’re having to ‘tread water’ until the pandemic is either over or the vaccine becomes available… which effectively means (at least for us, having taken ‘decisions’ on a number of matters) no public transport; no cinema; no theatre; no bars; no restaurants; no cafés (unless the weather is kind and we can sit outside); no concerts; no rugby; trying to void all but the basic shopping; no church (for me); no gathering with friends (indoors); and no hugging. While we’re still meeting up with family (in small numbers and with social distancing), it’s not the quite same… and not meeting up with Iris and Rosa (for example) for bi-weekly after-school meals and the chance to chat and catch up effectively feels like we’re missing out on seeing them grow up. Missing out on a year of their lives (they’re only teenagers for a short time!) and, at the same time, us getting older (and time running out!?) feels like a double-whammy.
Meanwhile, it seems that all our local friends are going about their normal lives – going to restaurants, cafés, cinemas etc – and, with their cars, they have increased flexibility and scope for doing other things too. Meanwhile, I’m currently feeling less and less confident about driving ‘longish’ distances…
With the number of UK cases (and deaths) on a sharp increase, it feels as if a second national lockdown might become inevitable…but when? An immediate 2-3 week ‘firebreak’?  A full national lockdown immediately after Christmas/New Year?
Everything continues to be uncertain… planning ahead feels almost impossible. Jobs and the economy are struggling. Will schools remain open? Will ‘vulnerable oldies’ be instructed to self-isolate? People are already raising concerns about mental health issues…
There’s a strong sense that many people will disregard some of the ‘rules’ (why should I both sticking to the guidelines, when I have lots of friends who are ignoring them?)… and, anyway, the ‘rules’ represent government advice rather than a legally-binding ban. The police won’t be able to cope and the worse it gets, the more difficult it becomes to enforce.
It’s going to be a very long, hard Winter for an awful lot of people.
 
From the Independent 24 October:
Can I travel from tiers 1 and 2 to tier 3?
The government is advising against people travelling to a “Very High Alert”, or tier 3, area.  
“You should avoid travelling to any part of the country subject to very high local Covid alert levels,” it says on the website, plus you should “avoid staying overnight in a very high alert level area if you are resident elsewhere.”
It adds: “You must not stay with anyone you do not live with from a very high alert level area or visit their home.”
However, this is advice rather than a legally binding ban.
Can I travel from tier 3 to tiers 1 and 2?
The government is advising against nearly all travel for those in tier 3 areas.
“You should try to avoid travelling outside the very high alert level area you are in,” and “should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK if you are resident in a very high alert level area,” reads the advice.  
But it does NOT say anything about what you should do if you DO travel from Tier3 to Tier1… should you go into quarantine/self-isolate for xx days? Well, no, it apparently says nothing at all - because you shouldn't have done it in the first place - but, hey, who cares about such minor details?!

Tuesday 27 October:

I’m aware that my thoughts and experiences relating to Covid are likely to change over the coming months (in my head, I’m just trying to focus on ‘getting through to March’ – on the basis that this represents a year of living in this ‘lockdown world’). So, here are some very brief, random thoughts as we approach the long dark winter days:
1. When M+I first self-isolated (18 March), the number of recorded cases that day was 676 (43 deaths). 20 April saw the highest number of daily deaths: 1,172 (compared with 23 October: 224). 21 October saw the highest number of new daily cases 26,678 (compared with 6 May: 6,111).
2. The number of weekly deaths has been steadily rising since the beginning of September (between 30-86% per week); the number of weekly deaths is currently the highest since the end of the first week in June (1,066 23 October).
3. The government were focussed on minimising the adverse effect on the economy. There’s a general perception/criticism that the government has been giving out ‘mixed messages’…“It’ll be over by Christmas” (17 July)(and if it wasn’t, it’ll all be ‘our’ fault); “Back to Business” (28 August); etc.  
4. Local lockdowns were introduced (eg. Leicester, Luton, Aberdeen at the end of July).
5. Despite government assertions to the contrary, Test+Trace measures condemned as ‘shambolic’ by health experts (9 September).
6. By the end of September, at least 45 UK universities had had confirmed cases of COVID-19 (and more than 865 cases have been identified among students and staff since universities reopened). The total number of people self-isolating has risen above 3,540.
7. By the end of September, more than 2,000 UK schools affected (with pupils/staff being sent home to self-isolate.
8. 12 October: government introduced 3-tier system of dealing with Covid; Labour had called for 2-3 week ‘firebreak’ as more effective option (transpired that government’s health experts ‘Sage’ had advised ‘firebreak’ 3 weeks earlier).
9. 23 October: Wales introduces 17-day ‘lockdown’.
10. This from the Guardian (27 October) seemed to sum up the thoughts of many: “Managing a second wave of Covid-19 in winter was always going to be a tougher proposition than imposing a blanket lockdown in March. There is mounting evidence of fatigue, confusion and resentment over localised restrictions. Frustration has been compounded by the sense that the government pays only lip service to the notion that ‘we are all in this together’”.

Saturday 17 October:

The number of coronavirus cases and deaths have sharply increased over the past month - in fact, the current daily number of cases (some 20,000) is getting on for THREE times higher than the HIGHEST daily figures from March-September (just let that sink in).
I really don’t envy ANY government in these challenging times but, thinking back to those early days back in March, when a virtual ‘lockdown’ was imposed on the entire country, people generally backed the restrictions and there was a strong sense of ‘unity in a time of crisis’. Since then, of course, the government has come under an enormous amount of criticism on a long list of matters: its slowness to react; the ill-judged/illegal actions of Dominique Cummings on his trip (or trips?) to Durham; the lack of appropriate equipment; the lack of an adequate regime for testing, tracing and isolating; issuing contracts to ‘friendly’ companies without competition; making up the rules on local lockdowns without consulting regional leaders and health authorities; universities and colleges (students/halls of residences/number of positive cases); all the mixed messages; and now ignoring the advice of its scientific advisors etc etc.
You might recall that the prime minister unveiled a plan in July to return England to “normality” by Christmas… and he also indicated that it might “be possible to move away from the social distancing measures” by November. Well, it doesn’t seem to have quite worked out like that… and, of course, Mr Johnson will claim that the reason it hasn’t is all down to US… nothing to do with him! Meanwhile, consensus has disintegrated and there’s distinct sense of “they’re making things up as they go along”… and opinion polls indicate that the public has lost confidence in the government.
Clearly, the coronavirus virus has cost the UK a HUGE amount of money over the past seven months but, for the life of me, I still can’t understand how we haven’t yet managed to come up with a reliable, speedy, efficient mass testing programme (and why aren’t people being checked for the virus on a regular basis?)?
PS: And, meanwhile, Mr Johnson is telling us we’re going to end up with a no-deal Brexit (and, of course, he’s blaming it all on the EU!).
Image: Chris Riddell’s cartoon from last Sunday’s ‘Observer’.

Wednesday 23 September:

Last night, just six months after first introducing ‘lockdown’ guidelines, Mr Johnson made another of his television appearances to confirm that new Covid-19 measures were being introduced (in England) as a result of the recent rapid growth in the number of cases. These restrictions included: limiting the size of indoor social gatherings to six; people should work from home if they can; bars, restaurants and pubs closing by 10pm; renewed ban on indoor team sports; and stricter rules on the wearing of face masks. The need for fresh action to contain the virus was underlined by official figures showing the daily number of new coronavirus cases across the UK had shot up to 4,926. This was the highest daily figure since May.
First Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had introduced more onerous measures – indoor visits between households having now been banned.
Interesting to hear reaction of a leading scientist, Prof John Edmunds (head of the faculty of epidemiology and population health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine): “Overall, I don’t think the measures have gone anywhere near far enough. In fact, I don’t even think the measures in Scotland have gone far enough”.
Edmunds said he feared that, for the second time, the government would end up clamping down too late. He explained: “I suspect we will see very stringent measures coming in place throughout the UK at some point, but it will be too late again. We will have let the epidemic double and double and double again until we do take those measures. And then we’ll have the worst of both worlds, because then to slow the epidemic and bring it back down again, all the way down to somewhere close to where it is now or where it was in the summer will mean putting the brakes on the epidemic for a very long time, very hard - which is what we had to do in March because we didn’t react quick enough in March, and so I think that we haven’t learned from our mistake back then and we’re unfortunately about to repeat it”.
 
I went to Bloke’s Prayer at the Society Café this morning and, due to rain, we ended up sitting inside. I have to say, I felt somewhat uncomfortable – everyone sat suitably social-distanced but I sensed that ‘some of us’ were more ’sensitive’ than others in this respect. I registered my unease and, very generously, they’ve agreed that we’ll have zoom ‘meetings’ for the foreseeable future – unless the weather forecast is wonderfully positive (in which case we’ll arrange to meet outside).
I’ve also decided that I’m similarly uneasy about the prospect of being one of the church ‘welcomers’ for a service at Saint Stephen’s on 11 October… AND, in fact, also about attending ‘live’ services full stop. As a result, I’ve emailed Maria, Lee et al and explained my unease and have withdrawn from the rota.
Image: Land adjacent the marina now virtually cleared for redevelopment? 

Monday 21 September:

Somewhat ridiculously, since Moira and I went into lockdown on 18 March, I’ve been keeping track of the daily coronavirus deaths. It obviously makes pretty depressing reading, but it’s also a reminder that at the start of April there were several days when the daily death toll exceeded 900. By the beginning of August, thankfully, these numbers had reduced hugely – often just to single figures. But, over the past few weeks, the number of daily coronavirus cases started to rise rapidly… and so, inevitably, have the number of deaths.
Depressingly, fears of a second-wave, as we approach the winter months, has been exacerbated by shortcomings in the government’s testing system.
Clearly, for the government (whose focus, perhaps, seems to have been more on protecting the economy than people?), with the prospect of a potential second-wave comes the increasing possibility of a national ‘lockdown’.
I think Moira and I dealt with the first lockdown well (and we’re clearly aware that, for us, compared with so many others, things have been relatively straightforward), but all the speculation about a possible second-wave or a series of ‘local lockdowns’ has made me focus on coming up with strategies for dealing with any winter lockdown.
I started making a random list (which was quite an amusing process!) and here are some of items I scribbled down:
CONCERNS:
a) Won’t be able to meet outside for picnics etc; need to come up with alternatives.
b) Health (being able to get out for walks etc).
c) Money for Ruth+co?
d) Organise stuff/visits/trips before lockdown?
ROUTINES:
a) Daily walks (individual and shared).
b) Plugging in daily routines.
c) Regular ‘contacts’ (zoom if necessary) with family.
d) Moira treats? (gin?).
e) Thinking up NEW routines.
PROJECTS:
a) Christmas cake or pudding?
b) Window poster (keep smiling etc).
c) Christmas ‘card’/letter.
d) Christmas presents (relevant for lockdown?).
e) Drawing projects (‘virtual’?).
f) Meals for R+S+I+R?
g) Another Blurb lockdown book?
h) Window Wanderland?
i) Books to read?
j) Books on particular artists or art styles?
k) 2020 Year Review.
l) Photography project?
ACTIONS:
a) Organise haircut.
b) Buy lots of candles.
c) New white shirt?
d) Sufficient TV/boxsets/Netflix?
BUT will I be organised and actually get things 'prepared'?

Monday 24 August

staying alert? staying confused? being responsible?
(note: I had originally intended this as a blogpost on my ‘public blog’ but, on reflection, have decided not to do so – I’m aware it’s a sensitive subject for many and I don’t want to upset people… even though I feel quite passionately about it! So, instead, I’m posting it here as one of my ‘lockdown reflections’):
Yesterday, I posed the following question:
Asking for friends (serious question)…
‘Shielding’ restrictions were relaxed by the government from 1 August which meant that ‘extremely vulnerable’ grandparents could at least see their loved ones again after being apart since mid-March. Our friends understand that the current measures now allow two households - of any size - to meet indoors on the condition they continue to observe social distancing, now reduced to one metre where necessary. Grandparents (not just the ‘extremely vulnerable’) who don't live in the same household as their children cannot, therefore, hug their grandchildren yet, as they must maintain social distancing rules. Simply put, if they don’t live in the same household they still cannot hug or touch their relatives while maintaining social distancing.
Could someone please clarify what the current ‘guidelines’ are please… because our friends just keep seeing pictures of family gatherings where no social distancing apparently applies? Very many thanks.
You’ll hardly be surprised to learn that the ‘friends’ in question were Moira and me!
I had a good number of very useful and helpful replies – from people who pointed out specific government advice; from people who were confused; and from people who were following their own common sense or who were adopting what they felt were responsible precautions.
In our particular situation, the government guidelines can be very briefly summarised as follows (yes, I know they go on for several pages!)(and they also apply to people younger than 70 and people who aren’t shielding!):

• We should only have close contact with people outside our household if we are in a support bubble with them.

• We should only meet people we do not live with in THREE types of groups:

a) We can continue to meet in any outdoor space in a group of up to 6 people from different households
b) Single adult households (ie. adults who live alone or with dependent children only) can continue to form an exclusive ‘support bubble’ with one other household
c) We can also meet in a group of two households, in any location (public or private, indoors or outdoors). This does not need to be the same household each time.

• Because we don’t live in a ‘single adult household’, we can’t form a ‘support bubble’ with any of our grandchildren’s households. We can’t hug them… or hug our own ‘children’ (our grandchildren are all old enough to understand the ‘rules’, but I absolutely acknowledge the difficulties for the under-5s!).

We need to maintain social distancing from people outside our household (ie. everyone else!).
At times, the government clearly hasn’t helped itself. There have been times when ministers have contradicted each other in their own interpretations of policy. As one of my friends observed: “Let’s all be honest, any sense of doctrinal adherence to rules as described on gov.uk is advisory at best since Cummings-gate. It shouldn’t be, but it is”.
I have a sense that some people feel that the ‘worst is over’; that we’re beginning to ‘come out on the other side’ (daily death rates have consistently been reducing over recent weeks, afterall); and that we can start relaxing the rules a little (on the other hand, the number of reported cases has escalated since the start of August). Certainly, from images I’ve seen on television, in newspapers and on social media, it appears that some people believe this to be true. There’s a sense of “we’re responsible people, we won’t take any real chances… but we do want our old lives back now”. The trouble is (but, hey, what do I know?!) that bending the rules is the start of a slippery slope… and, as we all know by now, the virus doesn’t play by ‘normal’ rules, so being ‘careful’ or ‘responsible’ isn’t really enough. It’s not like making a personal decision to say smoke 40 cigarettes a day and ‘blow the consequences’… because in such a case only you (and perhaps your family due to ‘secondhand smoke’).
The whole matter makes me both frustrated and angry (seeing other people ignoring social-distancing and hugging their families makes me feel hugely jealous… and annoyed!)… but I do appreciate that it’s a sensitive issue for many people/families. Our lovely friend Mags messaged me saying that she felt that everyone had to make up their own minds… and, yes, I understand that point of view, but that fundamentally misses the point in my view.
With schools about to return, it’s even more important that we all follow the guidelines. We all fear a second wave or a series of local ‘spikes’ and so, again, it’s vital in my view that we don’t ‘take chances’ or become blasé when it comes to taking or ignoring precautions.
And, of course, if things DO get bad this winter, there’ll be a massive ‘blame game’ – with old fogies like me blaming all those young people gathering in pubs or on Bournemouth beach; people who’ve been healthy throughout lockdown so “it couldn’t possibly be us who’re responsible”; and all those young people maintaining the virus doesn’t really affect them and it’s all down to everyone else etc etc etc.
Of course, if you HAVE been turning a blind to certain guidelines, then I suspect you’ll say it’s too late to adjust your ways… and the only thing that will make you change your mind is for there to be a second wave or a local ‘spike’… which, of course, is what we’re trying to avoid and why EVERYONE should be obeying the ‘rules’ in the first place.
Yes, we’ve all had to make sacrifices and, yes, not being able to hug your grandchildren… or your children… or your friends (for very nearly six months now, in our case) has been bloomin’ difficult. But PLEASE keep going; please keep to the guidelines; please don’t try to justify why YOU should be an exception to the rules, if that’s not really the case. We’re all in this together and if you start making up your own rules, then maybe I’ll do the same… and that might encourage a few others to break the rules too… and then where will we be?
Right, I’ll shut up now. Sorry.
Image: staying alert (yeh, right!)…