Evening Ya'll,
So last week I explained my departure of leaving my job and handing in my resignation. It has been nearly a fortnight and almost halfway through my notice period and I suppose you could say that time flies when you're having fun, especially so when our current lockdown in England has been lifted. Well, Kinda?!
They dubbed it "Wild Wednesday" after Boris Johnson made his announcement of easing out of the second national lockdown in the space of a year which was imposed across England. All non-essential shops, restaurants, pubs and leisure facilities were to close for at least four weeks, starting at midnight on Thursday 5th November 2020, with measures due to remain in place until just last week.
Now I must say, I was doubtful that Lockdown 2.0 would have ended n December 2nd, for various reasons, not least of which is my absolute lack of faith and trust in the government or what they have to say - Something many of my generation face after the coalition government fucked up university fees and screwed up most people's chance of getting on the housing ladder. It goes without saying that had the vaccine not been announced, and in the subsequent days that followed more and more good news about other vaccines and drugs and science then we would still be still simply kicking the inevitable can down the road by teetering between being locked down and free (with restrictions).
That being said though, I am not sure that I know what it really feels like to be "free" again. Freedom from face masks, queuing for shops and unable to cuddle loved ones? I certainly don't feel "free". I still feel trapped as England has now returned to a stricter three-tier system, far worse than before.
Some people have described it as just lockdown continuing just under a new name. As reported through the Independant.co.uk, different parts of the country have been allocated different tiers - medium, high or very high. Dependant on the rates of coronavirus infection in the local area, the majority of areas have been placed in either tiers 2 or 3, with just three regions in tier 1: the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly. Just some of the areas placed in tier 2 include London, Somerset, York, and Cheshire, meanwhile, some in tier 3 include Bristol, Manchester, and Birmingham where the virus is rife.
As with everything, the government has said that they cannot confirm an end date for such restrictions and that the tier system will be reviewed every 14 days. Should coronavirus infections have dropped substantially in a local area within this time then, naturally, its tier allocation could be lowered, or increased if changes in the opposite direction.
The new tier system has been scheduled to run until the end of March 2021, however, Boris Johnson has now offered MPs a get out of jail free card (otherwise known as a “sunset clause”) that would end the system early due to a growing rebellion amongst the public as well as within the Conservative party itself. So living where I do, and working where I work, it turns out I am in tier 2 - High alert. But what does it mean and what can I and can't I do?!
Meeting friends and family? The Gov.uk website states that "You can only meet socially with friends and family indoors who you either: live with or have formed a support bubble. ‘Indoors’ means any indoor setting, including private homes and other indoor venues such as pubs or restaurants". So basically if I don't like my household (which, as much as I love my dearest Mr Warehouse I have seen very little of anyone else's face this year than his) then your fucked.
Gov.uk continues to state though that "you can see friends and family you do not live with or do not have a support bubble with outdoors, in a group of no more than 6. ‘Outdoors’ means in a private garden or other outdoor space. You can continue to meet in a group larger than 6 if you are all from the same household or support bubble" Unsurprisingly though, as before, this silly rule is inclusive of all children at any age. But you can send them to school with 30+ other kids?!
But alas, "normal" sociable activities are still restricted. Gov.uk confirms that venues can host multiple groups and should follow COVID-secure guidance (whatever that means), however, you must not mix with anyone who is not part of your household or support bubble when you are indoors. This includes in: pubs and restaurants, shops, leisure and entertainment venues, personal care and close contact services, places of worship or public buildings such as libraries, community centres/halls, recycling and waste centres (oh yeah 'cause that's where the fucking parties are at the effing tidy tip), public toilets or car parks (although to be fair I have been to many a rave-up in a car park). And even if you do attend these places, at least one person in your group should give their contact details to the venue or check-in using the official NHS COVID-19 app so NHS Test and Trace can contact you if needed.
So where does this all leave us now? Well, we still have to go to work in an office environment (as long as it is COVID secure, again, whatever that means) and if you break any of the rules you better have a good bank balance as fines can be hefty. Have I been out for dinner yet? No. Will I? Yes. Can I guarantee that everyone in that restaurant lives with each other in that household - No of course not! No one will listen and with Christmas plans already confirmed by the government about who you can and can't spend the big day with, eating turkey and arguing over the queen's speech, I can't think of anyone that will abide by the new set of rules.
I can guarantee that within a few weeks we will be in lockdown number three. We might make it into the new year, but rest assured it is almost certain to happen again. And despite the new Pfizer drug being rolled out throughout hospitals and doctors surgeries and care homes in the coming few days producing some golden news for the nation, I fear it will be a long while before we can hug friends and family again.
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