All our age groups have to beat Covid
Everyone has to do their part to eradicate virus If Covid is to be beaten – it’s going to take ALL ages groups to do their part.
It seems like only a few weeks ago – although, in reality, it was probably a few months – that old codgers like me were being warned that the end was nigh!
Back in those dark days when Covid 19 was still just plain Coronavirus, the headlines would have had us believe that anyone over a certain age was heading towards the ‘ endangered species’ category!
To be fair, many of the statistics of the day were skewed in that direction.
The first wave of pandemic deaths were largely among the elderly – hitting those with underlying medical conditions - or the poor souls who, suffering from nothing other than old- age, were not fully equipped with the armoury to fight off the virus.
Yes, it took an early toll on senior citizens. But I can still remember the shock of reading a headline in April that said “Over 50s may have to quarantine for six months.”
I recall putting the newspaper down . . . and thinking what has previously been the unthinkable. “For Christ sakes . . . they mean ME!”
It didn’t get any better the next day when the headline had subtly changed to “Over 60s face six months of shielding.”
I thought - “My God, they’ve taken 10 years off – and they STILL mean ME!” But if a week is a long time in politics . . . then 20 weeks is light year in pandemics! Put Nicola “Ah’ve tell’t yeez” Sturgeon – or even Bojo – in a private room tomorrow and ask when which age group they would REALLY like to lockdown – and I’m pretty confident I wouldn’t be in it! Last week, five people were fined the maximum £ 10,000 for organising illegal events. And you can bet your mortgage that not one of the DJs they hired had Frank Ifield or Brian Poole and Tremeloes in their cardboard box of LPs! Of the 39 people cautioned after police raided a garden party in SouthLondon last week – all 39 were aged 25 and under. And though I don’t have exact details, I think it’s another safe bet that those idiots jetting back from Mykonos or Malaga - and sticking two fingers up at the notion of quarantine – will all be clutching their first issue of 10 year passports.
While it would be grossly unfair to tar all of today’s youth with the same brush – you can’t argue against the simple logic that a generation renowned for not taking things seriously . . . are just not taking this seriously. Yes, we’ve all been there.
Back in my day, the coolest thing a 16 or 17 year old could do was walk into a bar and grin their way through an illegally purchased pint of Skol lager. Yes – I said Skol lager. At that age we didn’t know any better!
And a few years further on, a party wasn’t real party unless there was a private area set aside for smoking.
And we’re not talking Embassy Regal here either! But at least we were only harming ourselves. All of the above – and more – sparked a wee pub debate last week and most of the silver surfers in my place reckoned that even in the throes of the ecstasy of youth – they would all have respected and observed the current Covid protocols. “We might have been the Wild Bunch of early seventies – but remember how seriously we took drinking and driving?” someone observed. It was a good point.
Amongst my crowd anyway, getting behind the wheel after a few beers was deemed to be very bad karma.
I recall several occasions in the gents’ loo at the Ferryboat Bar in Ayr’s Gartferry Hotel when a set of car keys would be strong- armed from a potential felon and left behind the bar for safe- keeping.
The pub debate was adjourned with everyone agreeing that if Covid is to be beaten – it’s going to take ALL ages groups to do their part.
But not before one gentleman – now approaching his pension age – came up with the comment of the day.
“You know . . . see if we had to wear a mask in those days . . . I think I might have pulled more birds . . .”.