LOCKDOWN - Life In Isolation - Ellie Wright

SPRING / SUMMER 2020

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This publication documents everything you need to know surrounding lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Commenting on the positives, negatives and how the public coped during such unprecedented times.

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POSITIVES A posi tive outlook on lockdown

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Eve ryt hi n g y o u ne e d to k now ab o u t COV I D -1 9 a nd l oc kdow n

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Q&A Inte rv iews with pe ople during the COVID -19 pa nde mic

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I S O L AT I O N T I P S Isol at i on t i ps from an ast ronaut and an ex-pr i soner

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A MESSAGE FROM OUR COV ID-1 9 i s a n ew il l n e s s t h at c a n af fe c t you r lu ngs and airways.

It's c a use d by a v ir u s c a l l e d Co ro n av ir u s .

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PREVENTIONS

a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature) a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

wash your hands with soap and water often – for at least 20 seconds wash your hands as soon as you get home cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands

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WASHING HANDS TIPS FROM OUR

To l i m i t t h e s p r e a d o f t h e v i r u s , t h e N H S gave us step by step instructions on how to wash your hands correctly.

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Wash your hands with water

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Rub your hands together

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Apply enough soap to cover your hands

Use 1 hand to rub the back of the other hand and clean in between the fingers. Do the same with the other hand

Rub your hands together and clean in between your fingers

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Rub the back of your fingers against your palms

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Rub your thumb using your other hand.

Do the same with the other thumb

Rub the tips of your fingers on the palm of your other hand. Do the same with other hand

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Rinse your hands with water

Dry your hands completely with a disposable towel

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Use the disposable towel to turn off the tap

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LOCKDOWN GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS

On th e 2 3 rd Marc h 20 20, t h e U K we nt into lo c kdow n , i n a n u n p re ce d e nte d ste p to at tempt to li mi t th e sp re a d of co ro n av ir u s .

The measures in place say people should go out as little as possible and only leave home if they have a "reasonable excuse". This includes: Exercise - alone, or with members of your household Shopping for basic necessities Any medical need, or providing care for a vulnerable person

This lockdown completely changed the way we live. All shops selling non-essential items closed along with pubs, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and places of worship.

The restrictions, which have affected all aspects of society, continued until further notice. So how did the UK cope?

Travel to or from work, but only when you cannot work from home

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S O C I A L D I S TA N C I N G GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS

So c i a l di sta n c i ng m e a s u re s we re int ro d uced to re duce so c i a l i nte ra c t io n b et we e n p e o p l e, to h e lp sto p th e tra n s m is s io n of co ro n av ir us Avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough.

Avoid non-essential use of public transport when possible.

Work from home, where possible.

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Avoid large and small gatherings in public spaces, noting that pubs, restaurants, leisure centres and similar venues are currently shut as infections spread easily in closed spaces where people gather together.

Avoid gatherings with friends and family.

Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media.

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PA N I C B U YS JESSICA CLARK

CITY AM

Groce ry sa le s at U K s u p e r m a r kets s o a re d by £ 4 6 7m a s c usto m e rs sto c k p il e d a m id e sca lati n g fe a rs ove r t h e s p re a d of co ro n avi rus i n t h e U K .

Food sales jumped 22 per cent in the week ending 14 March driven by an increase in essential household items and long lasting foods.

Supermarkets were forced to issue a letter to customers, urging them to avoid stockpiling items, which created shortages for other shoppers, particularly key workers, elderly or vulnerable people.

Household and pet care items sales were up 65 per cent during the week, ambient groceries – such as dried pasta and tinned food – saw sales increase 62 per cent.

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Sales of heath, beauty, toiletries and babycare items increased 33 per cent.

Meanwhile, sales of beer, wine and spirits were up 11 per cent and impulse snacking product sales increased 18 per cent, according to the latest research.

Children’s medicine sales soared 228 per cent and toilet roll sales 140 per cent as shoppers prepared for the potential lockdown, which was later announced.

Pasta, canned meat and canned or packet soup also saw a huge jump in sales.

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LONELINESS M A R K TAY L O R

CAMBRIDGE INDEPENDENT

Lo n e li n e ss duri ng co ro n av ir u s l o c kd own ‘most likely to af fect you ng people’

You ng people are th e most likely to be feel i n g lonely d uring the coronavirus pand emi c, a cco rd ing to a stu d y b y the Mental Health Fou nd ation.

More than four in 10 of those aged bet ween t he ages of 18 and 2 4 said they have exp erienced lonel i n ess i n a longitudinal stu d y t hat trac ked mental health d uring the cr i si s.

The figure of 44 per cent compares to 35 per cent in the next most affected group, those aged between 25 to 34, which equates to one in three.

The survey was collected from 2,221 adults in the UK aged 18 and over, as part of the Coronavirus: Mental Health and the Pandemic research project, and asked whether people had felt loneliness in the previous two weeks.

Professor Tine Van Bortel, from the Cambridge Institute of Public Health at the University of Cambridge, said: “It might feel surprising but what our research shows is that the group most likely to be experiencing these feelings are young people.

“It is worrying that close to half of them said they are concerned about feeling lonely, and special attention should be given to young people.

“However, we shouldn’t forget that loneliness is also clearly affecting very large numbers of people of all ages.”

The feelings of loneliness more than doubled across the lockdown period, the research also found.

Dr Antonis Kousoulis, director at the Mental Health Foundation, said: “Our data reveal that millions of people in the UK are experiencing feelings of loneliness – which is a key risk factor for developing or worsening mental health problems.

“The concern is that the longer the pandemic goes on, the more feelings become long-term. The impact of long-term loneliness on mental health can be very hard to manage.

“While the initial priority must be to prevent loss of life, we fear that we may be living with the mental health impacts of the coronavirus situation for many years to come.

“This is especially true of vulnerable groups and it is critical that governments and others are mindful of this as we go forward.”

In the first round of the survey in March, before lockdown, 10 per cent of adults said they felt lonely, and that rose to 24 per cent by the beginning of April. Before lockdown, 16 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 felt loneliness because of coronavirus, rising to 44 per cent after two weeks of lockdown.

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DREAMS LAUREN GEAL

STYLIST

Wh y we h a d su c h v iv id d re a m s d u r in g l ockdown, according to a expert

It’s n o se c ret th at ma n y of us h a d sur p ri si n g ly vi vid drea ms duri n g lo c kdow n . W h eth e r th e y’re f ue lle d by a n x i ety o r j ust i n c re di bly deta i l e d , th e re’s so meth i n g a bout th e dre a m s w h i c h ma de th e m fe e l so i nte n se . B ut wh y we re we h avi n g t h e s e vivid dre a ms i n t h e f i rst p la ce?

Whereas previously we might have forgotten about the dreams we had the night before, now, recalling our subconscious adventures was part of our daily routine.

It’s clear that we’re not the only ones experiencing this – take a look through social media and you’ll see post upon post commenting on the remarkable (and sometimes absolutely mad) dreams people were having – so why is it that lockdown had this effect on all of us?

To find out, Stylist asked Sue Cummings, a consultant clinical psychologist who has worked in Adult Mental Health Services for 30 years. Appearing on an episode of Working From Home with Stylist, Cummings explained how our dreams work to help us handle difficult emotions we might not have been able to process during the day.

“Freud said that the function of dreams was to actually preserve sleep,” Cummings says. “So we all experience stress, conflict, difficult emotions in our lives on a daily basis – we also experience pleasurable feelings as well. In the course of a day, these events or emotions may not actually get fully processed.

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For one reason or another, what we’re feeling or what we’re thinking may have to go on hold. So what happens is the dreams at night serve to actually finish the job. So we are processing material from our conscious mind.

“Freud also said that dreams just really deal with the residue. So in order to help you stay asleep, the material which may be difficult has to be formatted in a way that allows you to stay asleep. Because if your conflicts and your difficulties were in a raw form, you actually wouldn’t be sleeping. So what our brain does is it symbolically represents those conflicts or those emotions in a way that allows you to stay asleep.”

With this in mind, Cummings explains that the vivid dreams we were all experiencing are likely to be a product of the anxiety-inducing situation we were all facing – as the coronavirus pandemic put us under increased amounts of stress, our dreams are worked overtime to help us process all those intense emotions. ‘Dreams are functionally very important for clearing the emotional pathways’.

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Call t he Nat ional Domest ic Abu se Helpline for f ree and conf ident ial adv ice, 2 4 hou rs a day on:

0 80 8 20 0 0 247

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ITV REPORT

D o me sti c a buse k il l in gs d o u b l e d ove r a 21 - da y p e ri o d in t h e l o c kd own a n d a n at i o n a l a buse h e l p l in e re ce ive d 49 % m o re c a lls, a re p o r t b y M Ps reve a l e d .

In its report, the committee said the UK – like countries around the world – had seen a rise in domestic abuse since the lockdown restrictions came into effect in March.

Calls to Refuge increased by 49% in the week before 15 April, domestic abuse charity Chayn reported that visits to its website had trebled in March 2020 and the Men’s Advice Line saw an increase in calls of 16.6%.

Research by Counting Dead Women calculated at least 16 domestic abuse killings of women and children had taken place in the first three weeks of the lockdown.

This is double the average rate and the largest number of killings in a three-week

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period for a decade. Committee chairman Yvette Cooper said: “Staying at home is an important part of the strategy to prevent coronavirus from spreading and save lives, but for some people home isn’t safe.

“Urgent action is needed to protect victims and prevent perpetrators from exploiting the lockdown to increase abuse.

“The emotional, physical and social scars from domestic abuse can last a lifetime. If we don’t act to tackle it now, we will feel the consequences of rising abuse during the coronavirus crisis for many years to come.”

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Tip s f ro m an

ASTRONAUT DAV E M O S H E R

Spa ce ma y b e th e f in a l fro nti e r, but li vi ng of f of Ear th c a n b e ex tre m e l y c h alle n g i n g . Due to a lo n g a n d f ussy li st of su r vi va l n e e ds, pl u s t h e expen se of trave l in g to a n d f ro m o rb i t , re sidi n g a n d wo r k in g in sp a ce me a n s liv in g it o ut i n ve ry c ra m p e d accommo dati o n s fo r lo n g p e ri o ds of t im e .

BUSINESS INSIDER

In Spring/Summer 2020, an increasing share of humans on Earth were asked or forced to stay inside for weeks and months to help slow the coronavirus’ spread and keep healthcare systems from being overwhelmed.

Knowing that millions of people faced similar struggles to astronauts’ longlasting confinement in space, a couple stepped forward to offer their hardwon advice, especially for coexisting with others in isolated spaces.

Here are some of the most sage and sensible tips from NASA’s and other space agencies’ finest.

Scott Kelly, who spent nearly a year aboard the International Space Station (ISS), wrote in a New York Times opinion piece that “it wasn’t easy.”

He shared a number of tips to deal with isolation, including building and sticking to a schedule.

“You will find maintaining a plan will help you and your family adjust to a different home life environment,” Kelly said. “When I returned to Earth, I missed the structure it provided and found it hard to live without.”

Kelly warned against letting work consume you, and to pace yourself.

“Take time for fun activities: I met up with crew mates for movie nights, complete with snacks, and bingewatched all of ‘Game of Thrones’ — twice,” he said.

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Kelly added that he lugged physical books into space with him (a relatively expensive piece of cargo, given launch prices) for entertainment.

“When you are confined in a small space you need an outlet that isn’t work or maintaining your environment.

The quiet and absorption you can find in a physical book — one that doesn’t ping you with notifications or tempt you to open a new tab — is priceless.”

Peggy Whitson, one of the most seasoned astronauts on Earth, told CBS This Morning that extended isolation is “very doable” and that she never got bored on the space station.

“A lot of people are trying to work from home and trying to be parents from home and have a family at home. So it becomes very challenging, but that’s just like what we did on board the International Space Station,” Whitson said. “Our space station crew became our family in orbit, and we not only had to work with them all throughout the day but we couldn’t go home at night.”

“You need to be able to communicate effectively. First and foremost, that is the most important thing you have to be able to do. We always have these ideas that we think we’re communicating and we have to make sure that our intent that’s hidden in our head is actually being communicated.”

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Tip s f ro m an

EX - PRISONER CHELSEA RITSCHEL

As co ro n avi rus co nti n ue d to sp re a d a ro un d th e wo rld , mi lli o n s of p e o p l e fo u n d th e mse lves co nf i n e d to th e ir h o me s a s p a rt of gl o b a l effo rts to c urb t h e sprea d of th e di s e a s e .

Fo r ma n y, th e se lf- i mp ose d o r gove rn me nt- i mp os e d qu a ra nti n e s fe lt l ike a pr i so n se nte n ce .

Accordi n g to a fo r m e r i n mate turn e d p r is o n co nsulta nt, th e co m p a ri so n i sn’t fa r of f.

THE INDEPENDENT

“There aren’t a lot of differences between federal prison and quarantine,” federal prison consultant Justin Paperny, author of Lessons From Prison told The Independent. That means that some of the tactics he and his team use to help criminals serve successful prison sentences can also apply to those in quarantine.

While many people found themselves unemployed as a result of the coronavirus, countless others pivoted to a working-from-home strategy.

For those working from home to be successful, Paperny advised avoiding any distractions.

“Much like prison, there can be numerous distractions that can derail you. In prison, there are distractions like going to watch the track, watching TV, sleeping all day, complaining, making bad choices. “It is really the same thing if you are in quarantine and understanding that is important.”

To avoid falling victim to these distractions, which can make working from home that much more difficult, Paperny says individuals in quarantine must “master discipline”. “That’s really where it all starts,” he told us, adding that blocking out time in your day to follow your routine can be a beneficial first step.

According to Paperny, when he was in prison, he found he was most successful when he pretended he was getting ready for work, which included dressing the part.

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“I would get up and go through the routine. I would shower, shave, get dressed,” he said. “I feel more productive when I’m dressed professionally and I have found most who go about that path feel the same way.” Unfortunately, this means avoiding spending the entire day in sweatpants, even if your room mates or family members are the only ones who will see you.

“You have to master the discipline of having a routine and adhere to it,” Paperny said, explaining that the outcome can be worth it in the end.

For many people, one of the most difficult parts of quarantining amid the pandemic was not knowing when things will return to normal.

According to Paperny, this unknown is slightly different than what prisoners face, as they often know their release date.

“The benefit to a prison term, if you can say that, is you have a clearly defined release date,” Paperny said.

“You have an end and you can create a plan.” Rather than questioning when will this end, Paperny suggests those in quarantine instead ask themselves: “How much can I accomplish in the interim? You can do it. Believe me. Even if it is so foreign to what you’ve done in the past,” Paperny said.

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LOCKDOWN S o, d id a n y t h in g p os it ive come ou t of lockdown?

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RAINBOWS Th e ra i n bow w i n d ow t re n d t h at swe e p e d t he nat ion Pic ture s of ra i n b ows app e a re d i n w i nd ows ac ross th e co unt r y a s pe o p le tri e d to st a y posi ti ve w h i le th e y a re so ci a l di sta n c i ng in t h e i r h o me s dur in g t h e co ro n avi rus o utb re a k .

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Many of the posters were drawn or painted by children, while other messages of support for the NHS have also appeared in various locations. The isolation art appearing in house windows has often been accompanied by messages to stay home, stay safe and stay positive. Rainbows are used as a symbol of peace and hope as they often appear when the sun follows a heavy rainfall. They serve to remind us that there is hope and light to follow even after dark times.

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CLAP FOR THE NHS At 8 p m o n Th urs d a y s , p e o p l e aroun d th e U K gave a ro u n d of app la use fo r wo r ke rs in t h e N H S .

Clap For Our Carers is a campaign that involved Britons up and down the country applauding National Health Service doctors, nurses, cleaners, and other healthcare staff on the front line of the battle against coronavirus. Clap For Our Carers provided a much-needed morale boost to the nation, with communities using it as a way to unite at a time of social distancing measures, and show support for the estimated 1.3

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million Britons who work for the NHS. The applause took place at 8pm on Thursday nights. People across the country clapped and cheered on their doorsteps, from their balconies, or in their gardens, with some banging on pots and pans or even singing and dancing, while keeping a house width apart from their neighbours.

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C L I M AT E C R I S I S J O H N AT H A N WAT T S

THE GUARDIAN

How st a y in g at h o m e a l l owe d nat u re to bou nce back

Th e e nvi ro n me nt a l c h ang e s w ro ug ht by t h e co ro n avi r u s we re f i rst vi si ble fro m sp a ce . Th e n , a s t h e di se a se a n d t h e lo c kdow n sp re a d , t h e y co uld b e se n se d in t h e sky a b ove o ur h e a d s , t h e a i r i n o ur lun gs an d eve n th e g rou n d be n e ath o ur fe et .

While the human toll mounted horrendously from a single case in Wuhan, to a global pandemic, nature, it seemed, was increasingly able to breathe more easily.

As motorways cleared and factories closed, dirty brown pollution belts shrunk over cities and industrial centres in country after country within days of lockdown. First China, then Italy, the UK, Germany and dozens of other countries experienced temporary falls in carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide of as much as 40%, greatly improving air quality and reducing the risks of asthma, heart attacks and lung disease.

For many experts, it is a glimpse of what the world might look like without fossil fuels. But hopes that humanity could emerge from this horror into a healthier, cleaner world will depend not on the short-term impact of the virus, but on the long-term political decisions made about what follows.

After decades of relentlessly increasing pressure, the human footprint on the earth suddenly lightened. With less human movement, the planet had literally calmed: seismologists report lower vibrations from “cultural noise” than before the pandemic.

There is no doubt that the lockdowns were hitting the fossil fuel industry.

With fewer drivers on the roads and planes in the air, the price of oil slumped almost two-thirds since last

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year. Car sales fell by 44% in March, with motorway traffic down 83%.

So many more people learned to teleconference from home that the head of the Automobile Association in the UK advised the government to switch infrastructure investment from building new roads to widening internet bandwidth.

This is potentially good news for the climate because oil is the biggest source of the carbon emissions that are heating the planet and disrupting weather systems. Some analysts believe it could mark the start of a prolonged downward trend in emissions and the beginning of the end for oil. Others strike a more cautious note about the fuel that has dominated our lives and polluted our atmosphere for the past century.

Nevertheless, while our species were in temporary retreat during the lockdowns, wildlife has filled the vacuum. This year (2020) will almost certainly see a much lower toll for roadkill by cars and trucks, which – in the UK alone – annually takes the lives of about 100,000 hedgehogs, 30,000 deer, 50,000 badgers and 100,000 foxes, and many other species of bird and insect. Many councils delayed cutting the grass on roadside verges – one of the last remaining habitats for wildflowers – which should bring a riot of colour to the countryside in summer and provide more pollen for bees.

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KEEPING BUSY LUCY RODGERS

BBC NEWS

Co ro n avi rus fo rce d p e o p l e a ro u n d t h e wo rld to c h a n ge t h e wa y t h e y l ive t h e i r li ve s. In Br it a in , we s p e nt m ost of o u r ti me at h o m e a n d o n l y l e av in g t h e h o u se fo r e sse nt ia l re a s o n s . W h at ke pt u s g o i n g?

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S O C I A L I S I N G V I R T U A L LY Britons spent more time on social media, with almost half (47%) doing so. Video-conferencing tool Zoom and video-chat app Houseparty saw huge rises in downloads.

Zoom says its global daily users went from around 10 million in December last year to a massive 300 million in April, while Houseparty revealed that its app had seen 50 million sign-ups.

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WATC H I N G F I L M S A N D USING STREAMING SERVICES The second most popular way Britons coped was viewing on screens. Almost six in 10 people (57%) say they were watching films or using streaming services to help ease the impact of the crisis. Separate research suggested households were watching more TV overall, with an average of five hours more each week being consumed than before lockdown.

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SPENDING MORE TIME WITH THE PEOPLE WE LIVE WITH AND HELPING NEIGHBOURS More than half of Britons (54%) said spending more time with the people in their household helped them cope. But it is not only the closeness of those we live with that is eased the effects of the lockdown, some people also found solace in their neighbourhoods.

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EXERCISING OUTSIDE AND IN About half of us (52%) found exercising outside helped us cope under the current conditions, while almost one in three of us (31%) found indoor workouts beneficial. There are also indications that some people were exercising more than before, finding that a quarter (25%) upped their activity levels when restrictions were imposed.

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COOKING, GARDENING AND READING More than four in 10 Britons turned to cooking, gardening or reading (45%, 42%, 44%) - or all three - to help deal with the restrictions. News that many of us turned to baking may not come as a surprise, with supermarket shelves stripped of flour for a couple months.

But along with baking ingredients, people were also craving instruction. Demand for bread recipes rose dramatically on the BBC Good Food website in April, with all the top-10-viewed videos relating to baking or bread.

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DOING DIY AND LEARNING SOMETHING NEW Almost a third (32%) used the extra hours to do DIY tasks and more than one in 10 (14%) are learning something new.

People turned to the internet for guides on upskilling, from home improvements, languages and instruments to dance, crafts and coding.

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Q&A

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LOCKDOWN Q&A Inte rvi ews wit h p e o p l e d u r in g t he Coronav iru s pandemic

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INTERVIEWS

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Q&A Interview with a h osp i tal wo r ker an d mu m of 2.

“I ac tua lly fe e l m o re vuln e ra bl e wh e n g o i n g to t h e sup e rma rket.”

How has the hospital changed since the coronavirus outbreak?

It is very different, a lot of the routine stuff we do has changed. They have had to focus on covid, so things like surgeries are not being done, so a lot of the hospital wards are empty.

Some areas are a lot quieter, but the covid side is busy. Meetings twice a day, ‘gold commands, silver commands and bronze commands’ for reporting levels - gold are the big decisions.

For us, working in the laboratory is still busy, but not as busy with routine stuff. The corridors are very quiet, not many people are around. They have restricted access to the hospital for visitors. They are making sure to keep the covid patients separate.

Some departments are working 7 day weeks now. People are very conscious of hand hygiene, which causes our hands to be sore.

Are you worried about catching it the virus at all?

I feel safe in the hospital, I have to say. I actually feel more vulnerable when going to the supermarket.

There aren't so many people walking around the hospital, and we are also being very conscious of washing hands and keeping distance. I feel in the supermarket it's a lot harder to keep your distance.

The routas have changed, so there aren't so many people at once.. So some people would come in a bit earlier, some people a bit later…

Are the majority of the wards being used for covid?

I wouldn't say the majority, but they certainly have quite a few wards in preparation for covid patients… they have had to move wards around quite a lot to fit people in..

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”I am f i n di n g i t q u ite h ard to h e a r th e sto ri e s a b o ut wh at is h a p p e n i n g a ro u n d t h e h osp i ta l”

Do y o u thi nk y o u h ave stru ggl ed at wo rk? / h as it b e e n mo re stre ssful s in ce the o u tb reak?

I am finding it quite hard to hear the stories about what is happening around the hospital, it's upsetting… I don't see much but i do hear what is going on. On the whole, if something goes wrong everyone does their bit and people are happy to help out.

You can see the nurses and doctors are doing a great job.. But are getting really tired, you can see they have pressure sores on their nose and face from the masks they have to wear..

Have y o u enjo y ed is olatin g at al l ?

I have been enjoying it a lot. When I come home and knowing I don't have to do anything gives me a bit of breathing space and I'm enjoying that.

It's given us some special family time that we wouldn't normally have…

L I F E I N I S O L AT I O N

INTERVIEWS

Have you been s p eak in g to p eop le you wouldn’t us ually s p eak to?

Yes we have, me and my friends have been phoning each other rather than texting which we would normally do…

Doing quizzes, group chats, I video call my mum everyday now.. We've been cooking better meals because we haven't been so rushed.. Having a cooked breakfast which we haven't done in years… sat in the garden all weekend.. Doing stuff that we would usually rush, has been nice.

I am lucky because i can get away from the house at work and then come back and properly relax… I think it takes the pressure of expectation off everybody.. And the fear of missing out on something that you don't partake in isn't a worry anymore because everyone is in the same boat.

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INTERVIEWS

LOCKDOWN

Q&A Interview with a m u m of th ree.

“Th e wa sh i n g i s u p to d ate .. i t’s th e li t t l e th i n g s yo u ta ke fo r gra nte d”

How ’s i t b e e n w i th everyon e i n the ho u se at the same ti me?

It's been alright, i think it's been quite good .. quite nice, the boys are all here. Because we all work different hours and we are all over the place normally… so we have been eating together every night which doesn't normally happen, so it's been nice .. I don't know how long i can go on for but at the moment it's fine.

Are y o u wo rri ed about c atc hi ng the vi ru s at all?

No, it's not worrying me.. I'm not losing sleep over it.. I do feel really bad for the people that do have it..

And my sister's husband lost his best friend to it. We have been following the advice so we should be fine.

We go shopping once a week, my husband takes me but stays in the car.. And I go in..

We go for walks most days.. The boys will go on their bike or go for walks..

We don't do anything we shouldn't be.

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L I F E I N I S O L AT I O N

Have you been watch in g th e n ews?

Yes at 5 we usually watch the update, so yeah we do keep up with it.

How h ave you been keep in g busy?

We have been speaking to family over Facetime, doing quizzes etc.

The boys have been taking their turns with cooking, cleaning etc.

I normally do 2 jobs, I'm always rushing around, so I'm doing alright..

We have been doing the garden, doing decorating, sorting the loft out.. Doing jobs we wouldn't usually have time for..

Sorting out cupboards you don't usually have time to sort out… my ironing pile has never been 0 and it is now.. The washing is up to date…it's the little things we take for granted. I keep looking at my car and wanting to go for a drive with music on. I think it will make people appreciate things more than they have done before.

LOCKDOWN

INTERVIEWS

Q&A Interview with a y o u n g ad u lt l i v i n g al o n e.

“Bo ys c a n p la y X B OX o r P S 4 a n d i t’s re a lly e a sy to lo os e y o u rse lf a n d h ave fu n w i th yo ur f ri e n d s ”

Are y o u f i nd i ng i t h ard b e i ng al o ne?

Are you f in din g it h ard with mon ey?

Yeah, it's definitely difficult being on your own, 100%, but I suppose it helps talking to friends on Facetime. I guess one thing I’ve noticed through all of this is that boys can play XBOX or PS4 and it's really easy to lose yourself and have fun with your friends, whereas girls can't really connect with friends on that type of level. Yesterday i played XBOX with about 20 of my friends, and we played from midday to about 11pm and i wasn't bored at all, it was so much fun and I feel like girls can't really do that. I feel like TV isn't as engaging as a game, with your mates.

Not yet, as I am still living off last month's pay check, so I'm alright at the moment. I might struggle a little when I get this months as I have been put on furlough, which is 80% of your pay.

One of my friends is working in a mask factory at the moment, that makes loads of respiratory devices, so I've asked him to put a word in and have also applied on the website, so hopefully I get that. That will really help me to pay for bills and to keep me busy, keep me out of the flat and also is a way I can help in the current situation.

Have y o u b e e n fo l l owin g so c i al med i a trend s?

Yeah, there was a challenge going round on Instagram where you down a drink and nominate 5 people to do the same, so i did that.

I was also nominated to do a 5k run but haven't done that yet. I've been doing exercise and stuff though.

L I F E I N I S O L AT I O N

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INTERVIEWS

LOCKDOWN

Q&A Interview with a h i g h r i sk el d er l y co u p l e.

“It wa s a bi t of a prob le m g etti n g sh op p i n g , b e c a u s e i ts ha rd to g et de li ve ry slots. .”

How have y o u b een f in din g l o c kd ow n? Is i t d i ff icult for y o u b oth?

No it's not difficult really, it's alright, we are finding it alright, but bit boring Be i ng hi gh ri sk, have you b e e n wo rri ed ?

We were at the beginning, not so much now we’ve got our heads around it, because you realise you've got to keep away from everybody, and it's easier now cos everyones complying to the rules.

It was a bit of a problem getting shopping, because it's hard to get delivery slots … but my daughters have been doing most of it. We got an email from Sainsburys saying they know we are in a high risk category, and what I should have done is booked loads of slots.. But i didn't, i only booked the one, and went back on there and it's the same .. no slots at all now.

Over than that we are very lucky because we've got the garden and it's been nice weather. We go for walks for an hour a day.

To be honest, Kens life has changed a lot more than mine, because I’m still maintaining the house, I have more food to make, I’m not cleaning up as much cos I’m thinking nobodies coming round..

Sticking to the same routine of dressing and not being too sloppy, but now popping around has been made a criminal offence, we don't have to worry about anybody popping in!

So really I'm doing a bit more, such as cooking, as we are both here for lunch .. and we usually go out for food twice a week at least.. So I’m cooking everyday which is more than I usually would.

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L I F E I N I S O L AT I O N

LOCKDOWN

“Th ursda y n i g hts we g o o ut fo r the c lap . . . i t’s qui te no is y ro u n d h e re , a lot of s a uce p a n s! ”

INTERVIEWS

Have y o u b een keep in g up w i th the news?

How h ave you been keep in g bus y?

Yeah we leave it on all the time, first thing in the morning, check at lunch... but its very samey and I can't stand them keeping on about the same things .. and asking stupid questions ‘when we going out of lockdown’ … we don’t know!!!

Watching more TV, especially when it's raining, we sorted out box sets that we needed to finish off… try to leave it until the evening and listen to music the day instead.

Have y o u b een u si ng so c i al m ed i a?

About every half an hour.. (laughs) We’ve both been using our phones a lot Have y o u b een enjoyin g it?

Well because I have had to go over to hospital every day, right up until the 7th of April, so the first 3 weeks of it we were lucky, well i say lucky, to get out of the house and drive there everyday for my treatment … the good thing was there was hardly any traffic .. so that was good! So in a way the only last 2 weeks we have been staying in .. but we are fine

I'm also sick to death of thinking about what to have for dinner.. And I don't like the idea of getting a takeaway because I don't know if it's safe, who's touched it, I don't know ..

I prefer to do it myself.

Thursday nights when we go out for the clap we see neighbours, it's quite noisy round here, a lot of saucepans! We saw two people we knew when walking but we stayed about 15ft away from them and had a chat in the road, but other than that we have a good old nose when we walk round the village. It's a beautiful place where we live, I have to say, we are so lucky to live here.

I can imagine it being more difficult for younger ages, who get out socialising, rather than us.

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Q&A Interview with a preg n ant wo m en , wh o i s i n t he process of mov i n g h o u se an d ju st lost h er Grandad to COVI D -19.

“My 31 we e k a pp o i ntme nt w i l l a l s o be ove r th e p h o n e . .”

What i s go i ng o n with your ho u se move?

So everyone was running smoothly before all this happened, and then the government said that no one can move house right now unless there is a good reason to, and we felt like with me being pregnant, and needing a house quickly it would be a good reason.

The woman who lives in the house has said that she was planning to move in with her parents.. But because they are elderly and at high risk she cant move out of the house yet. So at the moment we have been looking at houses with no chains, so we found one which we put a cheap offer in for, as the housing market has paused and they don't know how much it's going to drop.. So we are waiting to hear back from there.

Have you been f in din g it diff icult?

Yeah… it's more of the fact that we are going to have a newborn in my parents house.. Which wasn't the plan, and we need our own space.

In terms of baby stuff .. oh god .. my 25 week midwife appointment, which is usually a nice reassurance .. where they check your bladder, the baby's heartbeat etc.. my 25 week one had to be over the phone. My 28 week one, which is my birthday!

The original plan was to go to the appointment, hear the baby's heartbeat and then go for brunch to celebrate my birthday.. But instead he's going to drive me there, I'll have to go in on my own and then come straight home.

If this is all still going on while i go into labour, my boyfriend cant be with me before or after.. He will only be allowed to be with me during. So I could have the baby, and then he will then have to leave straight after.

It's really affecting me at the moment.

My 31 week appointment will also be over the phone.. It's a shame because I just want reassurance ..

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L I F E I N I S O L AT I O N

LOCKDOWN

“It’s so sa d be c a u s e we a re n’t a b le to mo urn a de ath l ike y o u usua lly wo u l d .

Not b e i n g a b le to s e e my fa mi ly duri ng t h is ti me i s so sa d”

...And then everything going on with my Grandad ..

We are pretty much certain it was covid as it got into his nursing home.

So we got told he had a temperature and is showing signs of it.. This then led to his dementia speeding up, to the point where he forgot how to swallow and eat. My nan had not seen him for 3 weeks, and all she could do was facetime him. She is 70 and has asthma, so she is high risk..

She told him it's ok, I love you, it's time to go to sleep now.

What I am worrying about is my nan on her own, luckily we are able to facetime her.

Because the death certificate says covid 19, we aren't allowed to pick clothes for him to wear in his coffin..

It has to be a sealed coffin.. Only 10 family members at the funeral.. We all have to social distance..

It's so sad because we aren't able to mourn a death like you usually would, not being able to see my family during this time is so sad. My family was told over facetime that my Grandad had died, and not being able to visit family to mourn is awful.

L I F E I N I S O L AT I O N

INTERVIEWS

Have you been s p eak in g to your family more?

Yes, I've been facetiming my sister everyday.. And she needs that because it's just her and her boyfriend.. She needs family there for her during this time.

Have you been keep in g up with th e n ews?

Yeah I've been watching the news, but then i also switch it off and think I’m done with this, i just want to know when it's over. At first I was looking forward to hearing what Boris was going to say, now I don't even want to know as it's just bad news.

How h ave you been keep in g busy?

I've been doing baking.. But it's hard to get flour so I don't really bake now which is sad. Doing jigsaws, doing walks, I got sims 4, my boyfriend has been playing his PS4.. I'm just happy I have something to look forward to after all this is over!

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A d o c u m e nt at io n of l ife in lockdown du ring t he Co ro n av ir u s p andemic.