Don’t sink into happy daze - fight the good fight
SOCIAL distancing is set to be scrapped...it’s the sort of news everyone wants to hear but sadly the uber-positive headlines so far only applies to New Zealand.
The land of the long white cloud has fought a good war against the global pandemic. The Kiwis went into a strict lockdown on March 25 and are looking to climb out of the trenches next week with emergency rules lifted and the hopes of return to planet normal.
When the government in Wellington pulled up the drawbridge weeks ago it was with a certain confidence the country enjoyed the protection of thousands of miles of moat around castle NZ.
Here in the land of the Costa Blanca News, restrictions are being eased and we are all enjoying being let out of our covid cells and accompanying monastic lifestyle.
There is a tortoise and hare adaptation to the great outdoors; some people because of personal circumstances have retained a concept of being careful, others are sprinting towards the light at the end of the tunnel.
And there is good reason to stay alert; no one wants to bounce back into quarantine and so the basic rules should be followed.
Victory in Europe in the First Great Covid War is further off. A friend asked if the Troughton household was still following the coronavirus commandments, including hand washing. The answer was
‘yes’ - this personal hygiene step is easy to get into the swing of routine, a second nature and I’ve already warned a great aunt I’ll need a smaller size in gloves for Christmas.
However, it is easy to forget there are other people living all around who have genuine reason for caution as we get out and about more and are frightened of catching the disease - and the rest of us should help out by continuing with basic precautions.
If Charles Darwin was around these days he would be updating notes on evolution as the human race divides following lockdown. These include the new Homo sapiens ‘lemming’, rushing around and throwing themselves off Dorset cliffs and the ‘fox’, using a bit of basic cunning to avoid the disease in its coat so grey.
Maintaining hygiene precautions is fairly easy and keeps us all alert to the danger of new spikes in Covid-19 while helping those taking it slow. If you don’t like the UK government’s ‘stay alert’ mantra, try New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s message: “wash, wash, wash!”