A-Z
Blogging Challenge 2021 - Scottish Borders in Lockdown
Recording My Everyday Life - A Picture for Future Generations
LOCKDOWN - I
live in hope that way in the future there may be readers wondering what
was Lockdown all about, so it is seems appropriate that I record it
here.
In an attempt to counteract the spread of the Coronvirus (Covid-19)
pandemic, and cases overwhelming the National Health Service (NHS), regulations were brought in by government. These changed over weeks and months and different parts of the UK, but basically has meant:
- Non-essential shops were closed i.e. only supermarkets, food shops & pharmacies open.
- Social contacts between household severely limited even amongst families.
- Pubs,restaurants and cafes closed.
- Recreational facilities closed - theatres, cinemas, concert halls, sports facilities, libraries, museums, visitor attractions, theme parks etc. etc.
- Churches closed for worship
- Events, national and local, cancelled.
- Numbers attending weddings and funerals severely limited.
- Social gatherings banned e.g. parties, raves, with fines of £10.000 for non-compliance.
- Non-essential travel banned beyond 5 miles from home.
- Non-essential travel abroad to be met with a £5000 fine.
- Social Distancing - 2 metres apart - to be maintained at all times
- Face masks to be worn in public places
So the tightest restrictions on civil liberties since the Second World War - it was hard to believe I was actually living through this in 2020-21.
The key message has been:
Stay home - Save Lives - Protect the NHS
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES - I suppose with more time spent at home, there was an opportunity to learn new skills such as recipes, languages, crafts, computer programmes etc. etc. So what did I learn - how to use Zoom, and how to make use of my Ancestry DNA results seems to be the total sum. So many of my interests are computer based, that I did think it would be good to find something new to do indoors, other than reading and crochet - but it has never happened yet.
And if nothing else appeals to you:
Why not just enjoy LOUNGING AROUND. or try your hand, say, at writing LIMERICKS!
Image courtesy of Pixabay
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ONTO M FOR MASKS, MOANS & MUSIC
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I am enjoying your AtoZ posts and today sees me lurking in online libraries.
ReplyDeleteI saw in the news that the pubs have reopened there. Are you as excited about that as the people I see on TV?
ReplyDeletePubs have only reopened in England. Here in Scotland the government is more cautious, but we now have a date 26th April for reopening non essential shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs. I cannot wait to go out for a meal after i’ve been home cooking for 5 month, and indulge in some retail therapy.
DeleteIt was as good an idea as possible, but still many people got sick and died. I'm particularly glad to be still breathing today! Thanks for listing the particulars, especially the fines, which I hadn't heard about.
ReplyDeleteZoom has been the key to so much learning during this pandemic! I am attending virtual genealogy presentations I could never attend in person -- learning lots of research techniques and, amazingly, meeting new people! Online exercise classes aren't bad, either, after a few hours in a computer chair :-) https://mollyscanopy.com/2021/04/line-dancing-and-long-distance-friendships-atozchallenge/
ReplyDeleteYour post serves me to remind me how Lucky we have been not have such severe restrictions. Or if we had them only for quite short periods e.g. a week or two at the most.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent idea to define lockdown for the future. We have been in the thick of one sort or another and assume it will be known into the future. And yet, each place has its own definitions of lockdown severity and as Alex said, we have been very lucky here! Lounging around, book in hand has been my goal every night.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for following my posts and sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDelete