A Day of ‘normal’ Life During COVID (Coronavirus Pandemic Day 7)

Today’s Coronavirus figures: 208,421 cases, 8,273 deaths worldwide
Latest at https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/.

Given we are now entering a completely unprecedented time in the world, I thought I would start using this blog again, to capture a record of developments, thoughts and ideas about what is happening as the coronavirus pandemic happens, to track how it is affecing our everyday lives. I figure it may be interesting to look back at some day.

The coronavirus COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and has spread rapidly through the world, being declared a pandemic by the WHO on March 11th 2020.

On the 6th March, I was due to help run a research workshop in London and had to consider very seriously whether or not to go — London being the most densely populated place in the country, and therefore, you could argue, on the numbers, a greater risk. At the time there were only around 10 cases in the UK, and while the danger of the virus to the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions (particularly immuno- or respiratory) was known, I ultimately judged that the risk of contraction was neglible and decided I would go.

Around about the time I took that trip, attitudes started to change, and the cases rose to around 36 on that day alone – if it had been even 2 days later I definitely wouldn’t have made the same decision to go. On the trip down the London and while I was there, I was super-paranoid, following the government/NHS advice to wash your hands regularly (“for as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice”) and I made every effort not to touch doorhandles, surfaces etc (or to only do so through the outside of my coat sleeve etc). I completely avoided using the London Underground and avoided any crowded places. In fact, in a weird way, the trip was useful because I found that being away from home made me *more* conscious of the need to wash hands and be aware of what you touch.

When I returned I did take measures to reduce contact with anyone at risk, for example not visiting my auntie who was recently moved into a care home nearby and I haven’t yet met my brother-in-law’s newborn baby (at the time, it was thought that the risk to young children was high – though now it seems this virus does not affect young children, rather the very old or the infirm). I’ve also kept some physical distance within the home from my family just in case. After nearly 14 days I think it’s safe to say I didn’t bring anything back with me.

Since then, and particularly in the last 48-72 hours, a lot has changed. The government has begun giving daily briefings, and having announced a coronavirus-centric Budget only a week ago, including things like enhancements to the availability of statutory sick pay and tax relief for small businesses, they have yesterday already announced £350 billion of new measures to try and keep businesses afloat during this period. Which is a good start but perhaps doesn’t go far enough as it seems to be mainly based around loans, which means businesses accumulating more debt. There is a lot more that can be done especially to help individuals.

Around the world, things are being cancelled. The Euro 2020 football tournament has been postponed to 2021. The Eurovision Song Contest has today been cancelled. Glastonbury 2020 has been cancelled (its 50th anniversary). A few days ago the Premier League and all professional football here and overseas has been suspended. (in fact even down to grassroots level – my son’s under 8’s football matches and training have all been cancelled now). Filming on popular TV shows such as EastEnders and Line of Duty has stopped. The Archbishop of Canterbury announced the suspension of all public worship (though funerals and weddings can still go ahead – though in practice people may not wish to attend them). Airlines are closing down routes. The EU is closing its borders, as many countries already have. People have been advised to avoid pubs, cafes, restaurants, theatres etc. As a result, national cinema chains ODEON, Cineworld and Picturehouse have closed their doors.

At work, CHI (the conference for my discipline) was cancelled – the major event in the annual publication calendar around which a lot of our work is planned. The University cancelled all face-to-face teaching and has begun to put in place measures for video-based learning. For now there is some access to computer labs, with physical distancing being put in place by using every alternate desk. Yesterday I went into University and it was quite empty, only a handful of people were there. Strangely the roads were pretty busy on the way in and out.. perhaps lots of people doing some stocking up at supermarkets. Panic buying isn’t happening en masse – but there has been a ridiculous run on toilet roll and hand gel. The shelves are bare of these items – and once that happens, everyone else has to buy more because it becomes a precious commodity.

Something like this turns everything on its head. Normally it’s better to use public transport to help the environment – but now it’s better to drive on your own, in your own car, so that you don’t interact with anyone else. It’s a completely different mentality. The over 70s have been advised to self isolate, and I know from talking to my parents that this has caused a lot of worry – though it’s reassuring now that it has been admitted that people can still go out for exercise and fresh air. In fact today the National Trust announced it is opening all their gardens and public spaces for free to the public so that all can enjoy them – so important for mental health in these times.

For now, the schools remain open. People find this strange. It is thought this was initially because of a theory that herd immunity would help society cope with the spread of the virus – but that now seems to have been misjudged. (Great video here). We’re expecting the schools to close, and lots of people have already taken their kids out of school as a precaution. In our family for now, my wife (who’s a teacher) and the kids are going to school as normal, but we are not sure how long this will continue. There are a great many questions about what will happen when schools close – how will public services cope? What will happen for those like my daughter who have exams such as A-Levels coming up?

The advice now is that everyone who can work from home should work from home – so yesterday I brought home everything I needed and now I am working from home for the foreseeable future. Today I went out for a haircut (my hair was getting unruly and I figured if services close down I may not be able to do anything about this soon) and the high street was very strange. It was like the calm before a storm. Everyone was keeping a respectable distance from each other. It was very quiet even though plenty of people about. A sense of anxiety in the air. It felt like a strange calmness and anticipation. None of the usual energy you would expect to see. It felt very unreal.

For now, all we can do is watch and wait and take each day as it comes.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ is a great site for the pure numbers, and other than that we’re just watching the news and the official NHS/government advice as it comes out. Strange times.