Choosing to stay in Lockdown for a little longer

We are choosing to stay in Lockdown for a little longer. We can in theory embrace a little more freedom. We are not ready yet.

As the UK and the rest of the world process the Coronavirus and it’s utterly devastating effects, we are also looking towards a way out. We went into lockdown in March, confined to our homes, protecting our NHS, saving lives, and trying to not catch or spread the virus.

It’s been hard. Really hard. It’s also had some really good moments which have brought us together as a family. It has made us look at things with a new perspective and it’s also taught us a lot about ourselves.

As the world looks at the next stage, post total lockdown to easing things, we are all wondering “was that it?” or is there more to come. Comparisions to the Spanish Flu that ravaged the world in 1918 are abounding and we don’t know if things will get worse again or if we will learn to live with this virus and life will, slowly go back to some sort of normal, with a long period of caution and social distancing in between.

Our government this week announced that schools return next week, for many year groups. There is a level of concern, I think amongst many parents and teachers about this. The safety of our children and the people who teach them, and the families of everyone involved and the fears everyone has around this, seem to be dismissed. For us, it’s not an issue. We have one child fully homeschooled who will be staying that way and one child is not due to be back at school for this academic year. We don’t have to decide if we trust our government and it’s “we are following the science” mantra, and fear what happens if we send our children back to the rather bleak set up that schools face now or not. I am grateful for that.

They also announced that shops could start to reopen soon, and that we may be “allowed” to meet in social bubbles, or meet groups of people in the park, for socilally distanced socialising.

We won’t be going anywhere though, for some time to come.

We miss our friends, and our work colleagues and community. It’s been very hard to give up the face to face human contact that we were used to.

But I don’t frankly trust our government. In fact, we don’t trust our government (this goes out to all the people who will start telling me my anxiety is ruling when the world says different) and we want to wait and see what happens.

Locking down, being confined to home, life as we knew it stopping, abruptly was hard (as it was for many people) and it took us a while to get used to it. Our son, particularly struggled to adapt and cope. Whilst things may be easing, and our government trying to push us back to some sort of hygienic and “new normal” I don’t trust the decisions they have made from the start. They ignored the virus, then they pretended it wouldn’t be too bad, then when it started to creep towards us, they failed to act fast enough and the rules have been confusing and the information befuddling and inconsistent. They are lifting things with a view of the economy and not people’s lives and too fast. Whilst I get the need to get our economy started, and I agree we need to do that, I don’t believe the numbers justify basically letting go. Other countries have been stricter and their numbers look much better and they are easing cautiously and gently out. We went into this badly, and I believe will come out of it badly.

Maybe I will be wrong. I am not the only one who thinks this, I know. It’s not health anxiety or PTSD talking. Its disbelief and distrust in a government that I don’t think has many people’s interests at heart.

To be honest, I have no interest in socially distanced shopping. I am not a fan of shopping, online ordering for me is easier and always has been. I have no mad desire to go and queue up for junk food and cruising a garden center whilst trying to stop my kid from touching anything or anyone doesn’t appeal.

I would love to go out to eat, properly with the husband. I need to see a dentist. The teenager needs new glasses. We would love to go visit the places we miss. We want to see friends properly and not sat at so many feet away in a park keeping distance from each other.

For now, and for the next while, possibly a good while, we are staying as we are. If things look safer and are easing in a sane fashion then maybe we will feel it’s ok to come out from the bubble we have got used to, but my fear is that we will come out, adjust, feel normal and then they will slam the breaks on and send us back to lockdown. The adjustment and readjustment to that is one we would rather not face. So we aren’t going anywhere. We are ok with that.

We know not everyone will agree. This IS NOT a judgment on anyone else. If you feel that you are ready to ease as the rules change, then I am glad for you. We all need to make the right choices for ourselves. I know there will be a reaction from people who know us personally. Sorry folks, there will be no meeting for socially distanced picnics or wine drinking whilst our kids work out how to play without going near each other. The time will come when we can do things more comfortably. We aren’t there yet, we are choosing to stay in Lockdown for a little longer and we are ok with that.