OPINION: 'This too shall pass' with new awareness of importance of what other people do for us
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As I was beginning to think about what to write this month, the ‘Rule of Six’, curfews and no household mingling was introduced.
I don’t necessarily subscribe to the view that all blame lies at the feet of young people partying like it’s 1999, because I see many people of 30 and over regularly flouting the regulations.
We have been lucky so far in the Highlands to have been spared the virus circulating wildly, although those who have suffered the heartbreak of losing someone would not consider themselves lucky. As we listen to the numbers of infections and the numbers of deaths, after all the months of such announcements, I worry about ‘virus fatigue’ meaning that folk stop listening, switch off, or, worst of all, forget that each one of those numbers is a person with family and friends who are also now at risk.
The effect of someone coming into contact with it and then passing it on, possibly without any symptoms themselves, is the scary part. If we all turned luminous yellow when we caught it, the fight would be much simpler and evading isolation would not be easy for those determined to pursue their own path.
There are plans to fine persistent offenders who refuse to self-isolate on a sliding scale up to £10,000. I wonder how long it will be though before the first story of the poor soul on a zero hours contract trying to feed a family is fined for keeping going to work because they see no alternative? Once the tracing scheme is working properly, workers in some roles could be getting contact notifications on multiple occasions.
"I worry about ‘virus fatigue’ meaning that folk stop listening, switch off, or, worst of all, forget that each one of those numbers is a person with family and friends who are also now at risk."
Of course, there is no guarantee that the testing and tracing system is going to be working accurately enough and with a fast-enough turnaround to be effective. The news has been filled with the problems experienced in trying to get a test in England, with Aberdeen proving to be the surprise solution! Apparently, you could book a test in Aberdeen and just take the QR code to your local English centre without having to enjoy any of the delights of the Granite City.
So, what do we do? Shrug resignedly and carry on as if the restrictions have never been lifted and hope for the best? Probably. For those like me who are able to work from home, we are probably institutionalised by now. I make the effort to keep in touch with colleagues for virtual tea breaks and informal chats as well as the work stuff. It costs nothing but a little thought and effort. It is also nice to have lunch with the boy and relax for an hour, which I didn’t always do in the office as someone often came into the staff room and started talking shop.
Nobody knows what the next few months will bring. I am going to book my flu jab as soon as possible and put my faith in the belief that all this too shall pass and hope that we can regain some semblance of the lives we had, perhaps with more consideration for other people and what they do for us.
* Karen is Mum to an autistic teenager and campaigns for the rights of unpaid carers to be supported in their caring role and involved in the decisions that affect their lives and the lives of the people they care for. You can find her on twitter @Karen4Carers.
