So, in my last post I wished for happier times for us all in 2020. Little did I – or anyone – know that just a couple of months later we would be in the midst of a global pandemic. Or, that we would all be working from home and our pubs, shops, restaurants, theatres and schools would close. Certainly, nobody could have predicted that people would be stockpiling pasta and loo roll.
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus. The first symptoms are a cough and high temperature. Anyone with symptoms has been advised to self-isolate at home. Regular hand washing for 20-seconds of more can help to prevent the spread of CV so we have all been washing our hands red raw while singing a couple of verses of Happy Birthday.
For the moment, we are all healthy and we are social distancing. This means we can only leave the house to exercise or buy food and must keep 2-3 metres distance from others. That means no family gatherings, or dinners with friends.
The disease can be particularly dangerous for people over the age of 70 or those with underlying health conditions, so we can’t visit Yiayia anymore.
Z’s school closes tomorrow and may not re-open again this school year, which means that tomorrow could also be his last day of primary school. No SATS, no Year 6 trip to France, no leavers assembly or disco. I am so devastated for him and his friends. His teachers have been amazing. I hope I don’t undo all their wonderful teaching when I start home schooling next week…
London is expected to go into total lockdown tomorrow. It is a strange and scary time for everyone. However, I have also seen such an outpour of love and kindness. Neighbours are looking out for each other and especially for our older generation. Communities are supporting small businesses as best they can. We are connecting more online and sending funny memes to lighten the mood. We are reading, listening to music and playing board games. As you can also see, I have even found time to dust off this old blog and type a few words into it.
Obviously, there’s still the odd selfish bastard who clears the supermarket shelves for himself, but mostly there is love.
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Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash
