Easing Lockdown

Day 69 - June 1st

Boris Johnson announced 4 days ago that the lockdown will ease a little from Monday (tomorrow) and we will be able to meet in an open space as a group of up to 6 people 👨‍👩‍👦👨‍👩‍👧 (not from same household). Social distancing must still be priority and we must still keep 2 metres away⛔️🧍🏻‍♀️➖🧍🏼‍♂️

Vulnerable people who have been shielding for the last 2 months can go outside from Monday 🎉

Face coverings are now recommended in all enclosed areas 😷to help protect you and others. They don’t have to be medical masks but just something to lessen any chance of catching or passing on germs. 🦠

The main message is still to keep washing your hands. 🤲🏼 It’s recommended you don’t wear 🧤gloves and use anti bacterial wipes, sanitizers or better still wash hands. 👏🏼

You are now allowed out of your homes to do shopping but also to exercise 🚴🏼‍♂️as much as you want now in an open space and currently with one other person from another household 🎾

Excel in East London (known as the NHS Nightingale 🏥), built in 9 days with the capability to care for up to 4000 patients hardly been used 🙏. If it had reached its capacity it would have been one of the largest hospitals in the world 🌎.

From Monday (June 1st) schools will be reopening 🏫for Nursery, Reception, Yr 1 & Y6 ages only. They will prioritise the key workers children & the vulnerable first. You will not be fined etc for not sending your child if you chose not too. High schools are due to open to year 10 & 12 two weeks later . For everyone else parents are home schooling 👩🏼‍🏫and teachers are doing remote learning using the internet. BBC bitesize also has been created to help teach children who don’t have work or want more help etc.

It was announced some non essential shops will open from 15th June but details are unclear. 💸 Lots of take aways are now open and some restaurants are offering takeaway services

This Thursday evening was the last stand clap 👏🏼👏🏼for the NHS staff, all standing united on our doorsteps, balconies and open windows applauding and cheering for all our amazingly brave👨‍🔬⛑ NHS staff who so courageously and selflessly battled on to try and save as many lives as possible ❤️

Live experiences are now available, to watch anything from a Live theatre performance🎭 , a visit to the zoo 🐘or an interesting chat in a museum 🦖

Petrol ⛽️ price close to home 🏡 is £100.7p per litre for unleaded/ £105.7p for diesel. 

The current statement from the government has changed from stay home ⛔️stay safe to Stay Alert, Stay Safe ☹️

We are working towards lowering the “R” curve and keeping that below 1. As long as we keep doing that then lock downs will ease. 〽️We are currently between 0.7 & 0.9

Tape on the floors at supermarkets & shops is a normal sight now 🏬 to help distance shoppers 🛒 from each other. Essential service workers & nhs staff are given priority in supermarkets at certain times.

Limited numbers of people were allowed inside shops, 🧍🏼‍♂️➖🧍🏼therefore, queuing outside the store doors is the norm, 2 meters apart 🏬

Businesses were told to continue to work from home unless unable to, then as long as the safety measures are in place, you may return to work 🚫

The Government is paying 80% of wages to all employees across the country who were furloughed due to Covid-19. 💷 furlough has been extended to October.

Airlines are still grounded ✈️ but any travel abroad must now be followed by a two weeks quarantine.

Air pollution has improved. Rivers cleaned up. City & traffic emissions reduced. ♻️

Parks are now open for exercise but playgrounds remain closed 🏃🏼‍♀️

Everyone has been advised not to use public transport 🚌unless there is no alternative and if you do use then you must wear a face covering😷. Also there will a maximum of 25 people allowed on a bus at one time.

Entire sports ⚽️ 🏉 🎾 seasons have paused.

Premier league Football ⚽️has just been announced to continue from 17th June. Golf⛳️ has already restarted but all of these will be conducted behind closed doors.

Olympics postponed to 2021. 🏆

Concerts 🎫 tours 🚌 festivals 🤹🏻 entertainment events 🎭 all cancelled and all theatres closed for the foreseeable future.

Weddings 👰🏼🤵🏻 family celebrations 🥳 holiday gatherings cancelled 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦.

Funerals ⚰️ are limited to 10 guests that are socially distanced so lots of funerals are now being shown over Zoom etc 🚫

The new way to chat with friends and families has been by using apps like Zoom & Teams 👩🏽‍💻🧑🏾‍💻as well as the usual what’s app and FaceTime. It has almost become the new “norm” to have a catch up with family via zoom, or have a quiz night with your mates!🎥

If you are fortunate to have a neighbour who is a Singer or in a band, 👩🏼‍🎤then you might be lucky enough to get some free entertainment live from their driveway or balcony 👂🏽

No masses are allowed as churches ⛪️ 🕌are still closed 🚫however again the use of modern technology is slowly creeping into this world and mass is now streamed on a Sunday.

Still a Shortage of masks 😷 gowns 🥼 gloves 🧤 for our front-line workers. Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, over 1.48 billion items of PPE have been delivered to the health and social care system in England,

Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill 🤒 in many parts of the world. Formula 1 racing teams and Virgin Galactic designed and produced ventilators in the space of a week.

Panic buying 🛒 set in in those early days, but it seems that eggs and flour are the main things that people still struggle to get .🐥🍞🥚

Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses 🏢 have switched to make visors, masks 😷 hand sanitizer🧴 and PPE 🧤

Fines have been established for breaking lockdown rules 🤑 and this has been done to break up many a house party

You are still not allowed to visit or stay anywhere other than your own home 🚷but you are allowed to drive now to an exercise place (like a bigger park area) 🚗🛣🌳🌳but they would prefer you to stay within 25 miles of your home 🚐 Public toilets aren’t open yet so they advise people to stay away from beaches ⛔️if you don’t live by one .

Press conferences are daily from the PM 👩🏻 and other government 🏛 officials. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths ⚰️

Seeing People wearing masks 😷 and gloves outside 🧤has become “normal”

355,356 deaths globally so far from 28 May 2020. And 37,837 in the UK.😢

This is the Novel Coronavirus 🦠 (Covid-19) Pandemic, WHO declared March 11th, 2020.

We have so much we need to appreciate that we take for granted.

Be thankful. Be grateful 😌

Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone 🥰

Stay Alert, stay safe. ❤️