COVID-19 Pandemic 2021 Part 10
I last wrote about the pandemic in February. Six months on the lockdown and most major restrictions have now been rescinded and life is returning to normal. COVID-19 cases are still occurring with many still requiring hospitalisation. The question of whether they’ll be another wave in Winter still remains, although the government has announced a programme of booster vaccinations. At the time of writing the United Kingdom has currently administered 91.2 million doses of the various vaccines. 43 million people are now fully vaccinated which is 64.6% of the population. The current focus is upon the 16 to 24 age group and there are currently plans and ongoing consultation to extend the vaccinations to school age children. All of which is happening against a background where the pandemic is slowly being pushed out of the news agenda. The UK government is certainly keen to move on and a substantial percentage of the public no longer wish to be constrained by COVID-19 protocols.
I had my second vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech) on 12th May and to date, all my immediate family are fully vaccinated. Since April there has been an ongoing schedule of restrictions being lifted. By May I was no longer having to cut my own hair and just before Summer most shops and businesses started to re-open. At present there are no longer limits on meeting up with friends, attending sporting events and other outdoor activities, pubs and restaurants are conducting business as usual and there is no longer a legal compulsion to wear face masks. The latter is now on a “recommended” basis, although the major rail networks still insist upon it. However, the majority of the public appear to have simply abandoned this safety measure and I often find that I am the only one wearing a mask in the supermarket queue. The only aspect of life that is still not running as normal is international travel. Hence the majority of people are not taking a foreign holiday this year.
I personally am still very cautious regarding relaxing measures against COVID-19. I went to a local pub this week and was pleased to see that the tables and seating were still sensibly distanced. Food and drink could be ordered at the bar but not consumed there. I was also pleased that similar arrangements were in place at the Bistro I went to tonight. COVID-19 is still a threat. A point that was brought home when a good friend and his wife both contracted the virus recently, despite being double vaccinated. The latter required hospitalisation but has thankfully now been discharged. Yet for a lot of people this pandemic is now “over”, simply because they want it to be so. Conversely, COVID-19 is still being used as a get out of jail card to excuse any delay, disruption or cancellation of a service, whether it’s justified or not. And there is still a vocal fringe group of anti-vaxxers making themselves a thorough nuisance with their disruptive demonstrations and constant misinformation.
Some more optimistic people other than me, hoped that there would be some major social change brought about from the pandemic. The focus upon essential workers raised the question as to whether their terms and conditions of employment would be improved. They haven’t and despite its hollow praise, the government only offered a 1% pay rise to nurses. Working from home has finally risen above its previous image, where it was often perceived as a means of skiving. However, although some businesses are going to continue to pursue a policy of work away from the office, the “working revolution” that many expected hasn’t happened. In fact, as the more sceptical among us predicted, the status quo has quickly returned and any opportunity for major socio political change has been lost. Such is the state of the UK and COVID-19 at present. Despite being a landmark, global event of historical importance, it’s amazing how quickly some people wish to forget.
