Fourth Coronavirus blog – long overdue
It’s been a long time since the last blog was written but as we drifted from Autumn into Winter it slowly started to dawn on me that this pandemic was here for a lot longer than first anticipated, and that our restricted lifestyles were set to continue well into 2021. With the Government curtailing what little freedom we had, last November saw Londoners faced with even stricter restrictions when forced when we went from tier 2 to tier 3 and then the most restrictive of all tiers, tier 4, retrospectively another type of lockdown. Sadly Covid deaths figures continued to rise rapidly and we all knew that it wouldn’t be long before the Government announced another lockdown influenced mostly be Sage (the scientists advising the government), who seemingly appear to have more control over these decisions even more than the Prime Minister. But as numbers increased at a rate of knots we all knew with heavy hearts we were in for a even more restricting second lockdown that was announced after Christmas. It’s hard to imagine that this lockdown started on 4th January, and here we are middle of March still suffering in silence. Only change is schools going back on 8th March.
As mid-March approached little has changed and we continue to suffer strict restrictions. The only glimmer of light is an incredible number of the population have already been vaccinated with plans to have the entire population vaccinated by early summer. Governments plan is to ease lockdown and by 29th March, tennis and golf will be re-instated but with strict social distancing rules providing of course Covid numbers continue to decrease. But the Government continues to prevaricate on lifting other social distancing rules although shops and restaurants should open by the middle of May, foreign travel is still banned until mid June. I for one simply can’t wait for these travel restrictions to be lifted. The plan is to take the first flight out to somewhere warm and sunny immediately restrictions are lifted using my newly acquired UK passport and possibly a vaccination passport.
Having spent the best part of nine months coping with little or no freedom, life has not been easy with little social integration, most of us are desperate to return to some kind of normality. This lockdown has been by far the toughest and more soul destroying partly because it all started early January when days were short and very cold.
Normally at this time of year the death winter flu death rates are high anyway but what is worrying is that some of daily depressing figures released by Sage have not always been entirely true. It’s been suggested that some winter flu figures have been amalgamated with Covid numbers, something that has yet to be proved but some have admitted that overall figures were not entirely correct but not enough for Sage advisers to stop the Government from lifting any of the strict restrictions rules. It’s almost as if we are living in a Totalitarian state which I likened to a form of house arrest that allows an essential shop and one walk a day!
Considering it was on the 23rd March a year ago, not much has changed other than we at least had a better idea how to handle the second lockdown. As I write a date has yet to be given when to expect total easing of lockdown restrictions despite figure being lower during the summer months when we were able to enjoy a certain amount of much needed freedom from the end of May to early September. To make matters worse, Mr. Doom and Mr Gloom, (personal nicknames Witty and Valance), SAGE advisors still insist on pressing the panic button that will not allow us total freedom for the foreseeable future.
Looking back now I fondly remember last summer spending time with friends in Sedlescombe. swimming in their swimming pool and enjoying the warm, hot summer without a care in the world. I now realise how lucky we were compared to what the future currently holds with possible spikes returning in September but at least I’ll be should be able to see family and friends soon.
The only thing I can say about this lockdown is that it has enabled me to read many more books than normal, watch some scintillating tennis matches on TV, follow the extremely exciting Vendee Globe single handed round the world yacht race which started on 8th November with the last boat from a fleet of 33, finishing last week. At times it had me sitting on the edge of my seat watching some amazing seafaring adventures. Now attention has switched to the America’s Cup – with Italy challenging New Zealand for the America’s Cup. At least there’s lots of exciting golf to watch and more tennis but I am getting bored of watching this all on TV, I can’t wait to attend tournaments and events and watch matches live as I have so often done in the past.
Just keep fingers crossed that all big sporting events taking place this summer will be open their doors to spectators…. or is that wishful thinking – again?