Summary of Lockdowns One, Two and Three

What has faced the world this past year has been unlike anything I, along with the majority of the UK, have ever known or experienced. It has been such a rollercoaster of a journey and I wanted to document a little snapshot of this time to look back on in the future when (hopefully) coronavirus is a word that no longer strikes fear into society. I’ve broken it down into each lockdown we have experienced in England and tried to give a snippet into what life was (and is still) like for me during this pandemic.

Lockdown One

On the 23rd March 2020, our lives changed forever. We went from living in a fast-paced world with everything at our fingertips to losing our freedom in a single speech from the Prime Minister. As a nation, we watched as Boris Johnson told us of this national crisis that was quickly unfolding and to save as many of us as possible, we needed to be isolated from everyone else and quickly. Prior to the announcement we watched as the mystery illness grew bigger and bigger in China and saw that it crept into other countries causing devastation in it’s path. We had heard rumours it was coming to us in the UK and the word ‘lockdown’ was thrown around in conversation but did any of us truly believe that the government would do such a thing? As the rumours floated about, fear began to course through communities causing extreme panic-buying amid speculation that supermarkets and other shops would close. We saw footage on the news of people fighting over the last loaf of bread. During the speech, Boris told us we had to stay home, stay safe and protect the NHS and so we did. I was sent home from work and soon after furloughed. Luckily Andy had just arrived back from Norway and was allowed to come home after being away for three months.

All non-essential shops were closed there and then. Offices, pubs, restaurants and all other venues were also shut down. We as a country were not prepared for this in any way. A lot of businesses were not online meaning sales were stopped in their tracks – not knowing how long this would last for was a real worry for the economy. Television studios were shut down, and live TV was pretty much non-existent except for the news which we watched every night. News of how the virus had ravaged other countries was discussed, images of overrun hospitals were shown as we saw patients with strange oxygen bubble hoods over their heads – I won’t forget how terrifying it was to see people gasping for life.

Life had come to a standstill for many of us. We were allowed out for one walk a day for exercise and I began to appreciate the peace and quiet of walking outside, breathing in the clean air and noting the lack of noisy cars driving about. The sun was beginning to show it’s face after a cold winter so despite being terrified for most of the time, while outside in the sun hand in hand with Andy, it didn’t feel so scary.

We queued outside in the car park for the weekly food shop as only those 100% in isolation could get deliveries at that point. The demand for these services in the past were tiny in comparison for their need now. One of us stood in line in the car park, while the other waited in the car. I remember wearing a medical/construction style mask and gloves to do the shopping for a long time, it was so uncomfortable and claustrophobic – PPE was so alien to the majority of us. We saw posts on Facebook of poor NHS and key workers who had to wear masks and face shields for long hours every day, their ears red from the straps, their cheeks indented and their hands raw from washing and sanitising. Those people were ravaged by the demands of covid care and it was so heart-breaking to see them struggle.

Small campaigns of kindness began and people started to use their time to raise money for good, to help others. Care packs were given to those isolating, hand creams were donated, mask hooks were given to nurses to protect their ears – people were fighting back against the sadness with kindness. Every Thursday night, people across England would stand at their doorstep and clap and cheer to celebrate our brilliant NHS and key workers. Hearing the distant cheers echoing around the streets was amazing.

When it was safer, we stood outside metres apart to see our families faces and know that they were okay. As summer beamed down on us, some of the restrictions were lifted and we were able to officially meet people again. Some more shops began to open and holidays were allowed again. Pubs and restaurants opened and ‘eat out to help out’ was born offering huge discounts off food. Life was bearable and somewhat normal again with outside events of up to 30 people allowed. It was a small snippet of bliss but it was short-lived as soon after, Boris opened up the floodgates, did too much too soon and it all went tits up once again.

The Highs:

• Spending more time than we ever could have together as a couple
• Learning to slow down – as someone who was always so busy, the slower pace has done me good
• Family Quiz Sundays on zoom and the madness that was involved with it
• The beautiful weather
• Spending more time with pets
• Making a new routine – going to ‘costa’ on an afternoon (having a coffee and a cake), baths and lots of walks
• Dabbling in new hobbies – needle felting, playstation with Andy and lots and lots of home workouts

The Lows:

• Fear that someone we knew would become ill or die
• The isolation from our usual network or friends, families and colleagues
• The repetition of each day
• The uncertainty of our futures

The Maddening:

• The toilet roll/pasta/flour shortage created by the greedy hoarders
• Cleaning! The kitchen in particular got a hammering
• Cooking as at the very beginning of lockdown there were no takeaways open meaning every DAMN meal was made from scratch in our kitchen with whatever we could grab at the supermarket gauntlet

Lockdown Two

Infection rates soon went up as the schools, universities and offices were encouraged to open their doors alongside the pubs and bars. Inevitably on 31st October 2020, we were thrown back into another lockdown. I disagreed strongly with the fact that Boris had reopened so much at once and was furiously angry that we had to once again retreat from our freedom.

By this time, businesses had learned to adapt to the online world and were more prepared for this lockdown. Online gym sessions were now on offer, small businesses were selling via order and collect so were able to keep going but for how long?

This time around, Andy had gone back to work in Scotland so I was on my own during the weekdays. We had said goodbye to the heat and the endless days of sunshine so this lockdown felt very different for me. I really empathise with anyone who has lived on their own for any part of this pandemic, I can’t imagine how soul destroying it has felt for you.

It was a strange time once again. Outside Halloween displays were the new ‘thing to do’ with sweets in bowls on doorsteps and sanitiser for the kids. Soon after the country was banded into tiers and the lockdown was lifted – at least for some of the country anyway. The promise of a normal-ish Christmas was dangled in front of us if we were good and the infection rates dropped – three households could mix indoors for a period of 5 days and the travel ban to other tiers was lifted temporarily too. It looked like we would be able to see our family again, even if just for a bit.

The Highs:

• Planning for Christmas
• Sleeping better after the heat had died down
• No office commute 🙂

The Lows:

• Dark lonely nights on my own
• The realisation that we could be living with this virus for a long time
• Missing family and friends after having a taste of the old life

The Maddening:

• Seeing others breaking the rules and posting it on Facebook
• The working from home boredom

Lockdown Three

Dreams of a relatively normal Christmas were soon squashed as infection and death rates once again spiked. The news showed us crowds of people in London and other lower tier areas where the shops were allowed to reopen for Christmas sales. People flooded the pavements not caring about social distancing and so the infection rate once again sky rocketed – almost the whole country was put in the highest tier with the most restrictions. The Christmas day relaxation of the rules involving three households was cancelled and we were told of another impending lockdown.

On 4th January 2021, lockdown three became our reality which we are still in today (currently 02nd March 2021). Life has been quite bleak as of lately, the weather being too cold to allow us outside for very long. The cold dark nights have been with us for a long time and it’s been a very lonely time for a lot of people.

There is hope now though in the form of the covid vaccine. A high percentage of the country have already had their first jab proving a good amount of protection to the most vulnerable. The roadmap out of lockdown has recently been announced so there is a plan in place to get us out of this situation. I’m sure the reopening of schools is very welcome to the poor parents who have been homeschooling on and off all of this time but it does fill me with anxiety. Once Boris opens the doors once again, are we just heading for another build up to failure?

I really don’t know what will happen and I’m not naïve enough to believe that we will be going back to life pre-covid any time soon. This pandemic has caused ripples that will flow into the years beyond us – financially and socially – we will have to rebuild our lives once again to adapt to the future challenges we face. But it’s not all bad and I don’t want to end on a sour note. I’m a realist so let’s at the facts – the sun has started to shine, the vaccine is being well distributed amongst the population, the economy will (however shakily) start to rebuild as the cash starts to flow this summer from staycations and beach days.

The sun is coming out again and we will soon be allowed some of our freedom back but please remember to stay safe, be sensible and don’t forget what you have learned from your own personal journey over the last year as we all have weathered the storm in our own way.