LOCKDOWNS IN LONDON

Words and Photography by Urmila Gurung

Ilive in west London and this is my personal observation on the two lockdowns that my city and my area has lived through. Last March, when the number of deaths increased uncontrollably around the globe due to a new flu strain named Covid-19, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first national lockdown. This lockdown constrained millions of people to live indoors. Due to the Coronavirus, many were separated from their families and many more lost their lives. The pandemic caused existing inequalities to surface such as homelessness and poverty. The UK has entered into a second national lockdown to help contain the continuous spread of the disease. However, I noticed that even if the gravity of the situation has not changed, the general population in this second lockdown is behaving differently. My impression is that many are not following the rules. For example, not many are respecting social distancing or wearing masks. Whilst on my walks around the neighbourhood, I observed that many are even hugging and/or shaking hands. I am sharing some photos of my impressions.

JOURNEY TO SCHOOL DURING THE PANDEMIC

Photography by Ava-Jayani Karanth

SCHOOL IN LOCKDOWN

I

interviewed4 people. I have called them A ,B, C +D.

Joshua, Scarlet, Soraya and Ruben.

Tiana: Did you go to school during the first lockdown?

A: No, I stayed at home the whole time. B: No C: Physically? No I didn’t, I did online school. D: Na

How did you find online learning? What was offered to you?

A: I struggled at it, but in general it was alright. We used Google classroom. B: I think it was ok but it was a bit stressful learning, considering there wasn’t a set timetable. C: I found it stressful. We were using Google classroom and Zoom. D: Yep, we used Google classroom and it was pretty useless.

What are the differences between online learning and going to school? Which do you prefer?

A: Definitely going to school because you get to be with your friends and you get to do things in the lessons. School is just a better environment to be honest. B: I prefer going to school because you get to socially interact with people. C: Going to school I actually managed to do something productive and online school is still stressful but I don’t have someone watching over me constantly. I like online school but I don’t get anything done. D: It is either online and or in real life and I prefer real life because you actually learn something.

How do you think this virus is affecting student’s futures?

A: Right now for GCSE, as you saw last year, people’s grades are affected and students may not get the results they desire. In general, I do not think it matters towards people who are younger. B: Well obviously not being in school affects grades as it has been proven that learning from home is not as effective as learning in the classroom so it could possibly affect their

Words by Tiana Rendimonti and Illustrations by Soraya Sol

WONDERING ABOUT

WEST LONDON?