Day 48 – Curfew – Sunday 10 May.
Waking up around 7am I decided to have a lazy start to the day in order to finish the book I began on Friday: ‘Her Dark Heart’ is written by Redditch author Carla Kovach and (just like the others in the series) is a real page-turner.
Taking my breakfast and a drink of hot-water-and-lemon back up to bed felt very luxurious – much more so than getting up at 7am and reading in the living or dining room!
Finishing the book at around 9.15am I then threw on my running gear and went out for a run. After about 2.5 kilometres I turned a corner to see a running buddy coming towards me; as a group runner having to run alone through curfew is something I really don’t enjoy.
I miss the social and slight-competitiveness of running with a group; when there is nobody to try and catch up with there seems no real point in pushing yourself to run faster!
Meeting ‘R’ by chance meant we could enjoy a lovely chat (from a distance of at least 3 metres). I left feeling more inspired to try a longer run in the next few days: ‘R’ had already run around 13 kilometres when we met!
The rest of today has passed pleasantly, if somewhat lazily. I recorded a short Pilates session, walked Martha and watched a couple of episodes of ‘Ozark’ (the jury’s out on whether I would recommend this or not).
In addition, a few phone and video calls with friends, plus watching Boris Johnson update the nation, offered some purpose to my day; I need a ‘reason’ or a ‘purpose’ in order to feel good.
As Boris spoke I jotted down some of what he told us – for my own clarity, and so that I get the blog ‘right’.
Here you go:
Deaths are coming down and hospital admissions are coming down too, so now is the time to review and re-plan. Boris spoke of this as creating a ‘Road Map’ – makes sense to me as I’ve always said, ‘If you don’t know where you are going you’ll not reach your destination’. He did stress that the ‘plan’ (road map) is conditional and not set in stone. The priorities are:
1. To save lives and protect the NHS
2. To see a continued sustained fall in deaths and infection
3. To get PPE (personal protection equipment) and testing to the people who need it
4. To keep the ‘R’ rate kept down (that’s the number of people infected by a person – it is just below 1 just now)
There is something called ‘Covid alert’ which will tell us ‘how strict we need to be’. There are 5 levels of Covid Alert:
Level 1 means we no longer have the virus, whereas Level 5 would mean we are in a critical stage. We, the UK, have been in level 4 and are now moving to level 3.
Boris stated two things are key now:
1. Reversing the epidemic in care homes and our NHS
2. We need a ‘world beating system’ to ensure this virus is beaten.
He added the road map (plan) will be introduced in steps.
The first step is to modify the curfew. People who cannot work from home will be encouraged to go back to work – social distancing of course – and avoiding public transport where possible. We can now take more outdoor exercise – but only with members of our own household. Social distancing has to be adhered to, and we have to ’Stay ALERT’.
This change of phrase from ’Stay Home’ makes sense to me but I know many others will feel differently. I would elucidate more but, in brief, I interpret this as meaning ’read the 50 page document that is being published Monday, and employ common sense whilst keeping the basic rule of social distancing in mind’.
Step two MAY see primary schools and some shops re-open…we don’t have dates and this is not yet set in stone – how can it be? How can you absolutely know what to do when you have no experience of a situation? Covid 19 is a new virus, and, as such, the scientists and the government have no experience or history to draw on.
Step three may take place in July – at the earliest – and may see the opening of some hospitality businesses.
Boris was clear in that all of the above is led by Science, data, and public health.
The P.M. also said, ‘To prevent reinfection from abroad there will be a quarantine procedure for people coming in by air’. That’s one thing which should already be in motion.
On social media it is obvious there are many frightened people out there. I understand that but I believe, for the sake of the future of the people, we have to start getting back to ’normal’. My question to anyone reading this during curfew is, ’How much longer should the current curfew be in place with zero changes? What would you do in Boris’s position? If your were writing a plan for this situation what would it be, where would the changes occur and what changes?’.
Deaths are coming down – from over 1000 a day to around 300. Some of us will get Covid 19 and many will survive – just as one of my lovely friend’s daughter has. ’J’ in in her twenties. She was happy and healthy until the virus struck making her extremely ill, hospitalised and on a ventilator. Her parents were seriously worried they might lose her. Thank heaven she’s home now and getting stronger slowly… but she’s survived. I personally know of about seven people who have 100% had the virus. One of these has died – he wasn’t a well man when he contracted the virus – the others have survived.
Trying to keep things in perspective while sending love and ’Get Well’ wishes to ’J’ who shared this photo of her arms, taken when undergoing treatment for Covid 19.
Stay happy and healthy folks…
Hugs
Leigh