Returning To The 'Old Normal'

Monday the 25th was a bank holiday in much of the Anglo-Saxon World ....

Not a Face Mask In Sight ......

..... This same world has some of the highest mortality rates of the coronavirus pandemic.

This reaction to the first chance to get out after some relaxation to the self isolation rules, suggests to me that the appetite for self sacrificing, is getting very near its end in many countries. Perhaps some cultures are not really amenable to lock-downs, and governments telling them what's best for the their own good, and some others are.

So while for example people in China, Japan and South Korea have a history of following their governments orders (and perhaps exhibiting more personal self discipline), those in the USA and UK in modern times may not have so. In the past, the people of the UK most definitely deferred to their government (during the second world war for example), but recent generations in the UK have a much more ambivalent attitude to directives and being told what to do.

Many (including apparently, government advisor's), seem to expect others to follow the rules, whilst retaining the belief that those rules don't apply to themselves .... the slogan 'Were All In This Together' may be comforting for some, but isn't really true for many. The truth is, that notwithstanding the rows about government advisor's, the social distancing rules are breaking down, if they ever were as strictly observed as some would make out.

In my locality, I have seen many local self employed businesses operating as before. On the high street a waste removal company gutted a failed coffee house for over a week with no face masks, and now a team of fitters are in the building. This week, near my street there has been a roofing gang working (no face masks etc), and a couple of weeks ago, a flat roof team were working in a similar manner. Nearby a man was doing the guttering on another house, and was happily chatting with the householder (no face masks etc). Even on my street, a family friend/relative with kids has visited one house (and possibly not for the 1st time). Again no social distancing, and they all hugged before they went indoors. This is the hidden reality of Britain after nine weeks of lockdown. 

So when the government relaxes the publicly stated rules, even just a little bit, hundreds of thousands take the rest of the steps, and go back to the 'Old Normal' as fast as their cars can take them to the beaches, parks and other recreational spaces of their respective countries. Its just their human nature at work.

Personally I have always believed that full lockdown was the incorrect approach, with a better approach being targeted lockdowns for hospitals, nursing and care homes and those with symptoms for example. But I have obeyed all the rules despite my own personal beliefs, and to that extent have had virtually no personal social contact in nine weeks (with many more likely to go).  

We Are Social Creatures ....

Whether governments can change their tactics to keep in line with their populations growing frustrations (and talk of repeat lockdowns every few months is certainly not going to calm them), while keeping a grip on the pandemic remains to be seen. But unless a vaccine appears in the next couple of months, then we are going to have to accept that we will all get the virus eventually, and as long as health services aren't overwhelmed, then that is the best that we can do.

A lockdown, and stopping humans from interacting freely (and that includes pubs, clubs, restaurants .... and yes religions), is not the answer, or the solution. We will no doubt face other pandemics (many from the same source as this latest one) in the future, and we have to accept that is just part of the human condition.