A beginning to the end of inhibitions...
OVERNIGHT stays in self-contained accommodation, a drink in a pub beer garden, a swim or a workout in a gym and non-essential retail reopening – the latest stage of the nation’s gradual release from lockdown sounds more like a holiday wish-list than anything else.
While the first stage of our release from lockdown, on March 29, included being able to meet in a group of up to six people outside and playing outdoor sports, such as tennis and golf, life did not change dramatically for the majority. That was especially the case during the Siberian weather front which blew in recently and made outdoor gatherings less of a pleasure.
I did make it out to play golf last week, and the course I picked was packed on both occasions. There were new rules, such as the flag having to stay in the hole at all times, and not touching each other’s golf balls (cue plenty of post-round jokes).
But it was yesterday which would have felt like a real sea-change for most people; a beginning to the end of the inhibition of our lives, and this week will be a crucial litmus test for the Government’s plans.
If people get completely squiffy at the pub, without even so much as a Scotch egg to soak up the alcohol, and start breathing all over each other, we could quickly find ourselves back in a situation where the next round of changes are delayed further.
There seems, now, a distinct determination from the Government that we do not go backwards in our gradual return to normal life. The pace of that release may be slowed perhaps, but statements have already suggested that another lockdown should not be on the cards, just as a return to the tier system has also been ruled out.
It would be hoped that we’ve got the hang of this lockdown malarkey by now; I almost can’t imagine going to the supermarket without a face mask or jostling for position at the bar, pressed up close to some stranger who has been goodness knows where.
Life may change irrevocably in many ways.
Scenes at Plymouth’s Hoe during Easter, when people packed together for a drinking session which resulted in mounds of litter and drunken fights breaking out, are a reminder that some still have less regard for the rules.
Yet this week’s loosening of the rules will be an undeniably good thing in the vast majority of cases.
Shops will be eager for the trade, having so far been starved of the footfall which is so crucial to their industry – and the jobs which rely on it.
Gyms and leisure centres, too, will welcome back patrons with open arms, with their equipment having lain idle for too long. Everyone who heads back to the gym may be in for a few sore muscles this week, but they will no doubt feel better for it.
Those who have been lucky enough to be able to book self-contained accommodation will be hoping that the weather holds up, and will be hugely welcomed by tourism businesses.
Pubs and bars too – at least the ones with outside tables – will welcome back drinkers as eagerly as those thirsting for an ale will be glad to sup those first pints.
It’s nothing we haven’t been doing at home for almost four months now – having a drink, doing some online shopping, ordering takeaway food, and even working out in the garden or garage.
But there’s nothing like being there to do it, in person. So let’s enjoy it – safely.
I almost can’t imagine going to the supermarket now without a face mask