Kate writes a bi-weekly column for the Burton Mail. This column was originally featured in the 2nd July print edition.
Following on from the reopening of non-essential shops on 15th June lockdown restrictions are gradually being eased further. On Saturday 4th July the hospitality industry will start to reopen its doors which will provided a much-needed boost to pubs, restaurants and cafes which have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. As with shops, there will be social distancing measures in place which will restrict the number of drinkers and diners on premises and there will also be strict hygiene measures to protect staff and customers alike. There is no doubt that we are slowly starting to make our way back towards some sort of normality.
However, whilst everyone is longing for a return to life as we knew it before COVID-19, reaching this new normal will still take some considerable time and it’s important that people don’t start to feel complacent and begin to disregard the health and safety guidelines laid down by the Government. It’s all too easy to think that restrictions are being lifted because there’s no longer a threat. This is far from the truth. Although the alert level has been reduced from level 4 to level 3, and your chances of coming into contact with the virus are reduced, it is still in general circulation in the population and by disregarding the social distancing guidelines we risk an increase in transmission and local outbreaks, or even worse, a second spike. This would undo all the efforts of the last three months which have been so challenging for everyone.
We have just witnessed the local lockdown in Leicester, as the Government asked the city to stick to current restrictions for two more weeks in an attempt to stop a local resurgence in infections, and there has also been a second coronavirus hotspot which emerged in the town of Kirklees in West Yorkshire. The glorious weather of last week resulted in massive crowds gathering on Bournemouth beach – scenes which were hard to comprehend in the midst of a pandemic with a death toll of over 43000 here in the UK and half a million worldwide.
Whilst NHS Test and Trace can help prevent further transmission of the virus by helping people infected to identify recent contacts so that they can stay at home to prevent the spread, the importance of practising social distancing and regular hand washing cannot be stressed enough. The more we stick to the guidance, which is there to protect communities and save lives, the sooner we will begin to see a return to normal life.
