Here in West Yorkshire – and specifically in the Bradford area – we’re in Lockdown for the second time.
Things had started to ease – I’d got my hair cut, the gym had re-opened. Life seemed to be getting back to normal.
Now, with just 2 ½ hours’ notice, we’re in Lockdown again. We’ve been given no end date.
But it’s a funny sort of Lockdown. It’s inconsistent, contradictory and confusing.
My gym has had to close – despite everyone being able to be 2 metres apart, and everything being sanitized every hour. In one part of the guidance they were told they had to ‘remain closed’ (they’d already re-opened), in another part it stated that people should only visit the gym with other members of the same household.
Many of the people I work with are Muslim, and this weekend is Eid al Adha. The Feast of the Sacrifice, when Muslims honour the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. At the last moment, God provided a lamb to be sacrificed instead. You know the story.
It’s a time for family celebration, and going to the mosque. And now it’s basically been cancelled. And here’s the thing – I get that large gatherings aren’t a good idea and that there’s a risk of spreading the Coronavirus. BUT – Eid happens every year. It could have been planned for. Instead there was a statement at 9:30 pm – on Twitter, ffs – with effect from midnight. Not even the courtesy of a press conference or a statement in the House.
Some people will have woken up the following morning totally unaware of what had just happened.
If you happen to be from a Christian heritage background imagine, if you will, how you would feel if Christmas or Easter was cancelled with 2 ½ hours’ notice. Exactly.
I can go to work – the shops aren’t closed – but I don’t think I’m allowed to visit my parents, who don’t live in Bradford. More confusion – I can’t leave the Bradford area to visit another household. But my parents and I form a ‘support bubble’ – so does that mean I can visit them anyway? Can they come to visit me? No idea. I do know that if I needed to go, I would just go.
But our local Wetherspoons is open. For those of you not in the UK, Wetherspoons is a pub chain that sells cheap beer. When I walked past yesterday evening it was full, not a single person was wearing a mask, and there was absolutely no attempt at social distancing.
The whole thing is a shambles.
You can’t get fit or celebrate a major religious festival, or visit people outside of the area – but heaven forbid we stop people going to the pub.
To be fair, it’s enough to turn you to drink.
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