STORY OF CORONAVIRUS KEPT AT ARM’S LENGTH

8 min read.

I was thinking to submit this month’s post about some of the Covid-19’s brave sufferers and recoverers. But on a second thought, as the deadly virus is still on the offensive, I decided to write about how we are keeping it at bay.

 On 10^th March, the Government had issued directions to the people above seventy and those under 70 but who have underlying health conditions, to isolate themselves for three months. I belong to the former category. It is not disputed that the deadly virus cherishes decimating the older and vulnerable people.

In the last week of March, the country went into lockdown for three weeks. It has since been extended for three more weeks. There is every probability that it would continue beyond that.

To be honest, I did not have a premonition of imminent outbreak of the disastrous coronavirus pandemic nor of the prospect of any lockdown, but I had taken several steps which under the normal circumstances I should not have. For example:

According to my wife, I have the obsession to buy reasonable quantity of the everyday use items, like toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, facial tissues, toothpastes, cereals, whole meal flour, rice, pulses and cooking oil etc.  After the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, there was an acute shortage of some of these items.  People were buying and hoarding the toilet rolls in a helter-skelter fashion. We did not have any inconvenience at all. When I counted the items lying in the utility and cubbyhole, we had the supply for a few months.

The panic buying has since tailed off.

It was sometime in October last year, I had decided that whenever I drive through the city centre, I should wear a face mask to avoid pollution. I wanted to buy a few, but I got a box of 300 surgical face masks. Now their availability in the country is scarce. But I dish out to friends and neighbours.

 I had the habit of brisk walking for 35 minutes around the streets of our village every evening.  But from December last year, for no apparent reason, I changed my walking habit. I would do it either inside the house or in our rear garden.

We used to pick up our grandchildren from school during term time every Wednesday. It was stopped in February.

My barber comes to our house from the neighbouring town. I had an appointment with him to visit me in the second week of February to cut my hair. I cancelled the appointment*.

We were not desperate for any items, except of course bread, eggs, butter, fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and juices etc. Milk is delivered by the milkman at the doorsteps.

We have a helper, who is working for us part-time for the last about ten years. In the papers there was the news item that cleaners have been hung out to dry. We stopped her coming to the house, not only for our sake but for her protection as well. But we promised that standing order for her wages would not be cancelled. She volunteered to do some shopping for us whenever she does her own. She is helping another family as well. We have given to her the face masks and the disposable gloves. We leave the money in the porch and she drops the shopping there later.

Beside her, our son, daughter-in-law, friends and neighbours were quite keen to help us.

Finally, we wash our hands frequently. In a nutshell, as it stands, there does not appear any earthly reason that this virus would be able to attack us.

It may be argued that we are lucky to get by because we have support from different quarters, but there might be many lonelier people who cannot solicit any support.  They might feel that they have been left high and dry. But the fact is that to help such people the government have allocated large sums of money. There are about a million registered volunteers who are able, ready and willing to help them 24/7. Many of them are waiting for phone calls. Interestingly, not only the weekly shopping would be delivered at the doorsteps, it is fully free. It is not means tested.

Thus, the argument is untenable.

But the tricky question is:

 How to spend the time while confined to the house or flat?

 So far, I am concerned, I do not feel any boredom. I spend time on the computer, one-hour afternoon nap, walking, having a video chat with the children, grandchildren and the friends. Substantial time is spent on reading, including the national and local papers. I watch on TV the daily Prime Minister/Minister led briefing about the coronavirus and later the news at ten.

 I am worried about the havoc being caused by the virus, but I am not inconvenienced. Not a wit. But the wife is. She is a worrier and not ready yet to face up to this situation.

As stated in an earlier story (February 2020), she is a lady of leisure. In the ‘good old days’ i.e. before the outbreak, she would visit the town centre, particularly during the market days. She would meet the friends there, have coffee and gossip. Sometimes, she would go with them to our local cinema. Occasionally, she would lead the group to an Asian restaurant for a dinner.

Her socialising with the friends is all gone in a flash. She is feeling down in the dumps. There does not appear to be an end to it during this year at least.

One day when I was busy in my study, I heard her talking to someone. I thought she might be on phone. But, in fact she was talking to herself. On another day, she asked me:

“What’s the time?”

The clock was ticking right in front of her a few feet away.  I try to bring her home to the reality that according to the pellucid advice of the scientists this is a long haul.  We should be prepared to remain confined to the house.

Even to me every day is like Sunday.

It is widely reported in the media that for the public at large, beside the loneliness, the lockdown causes some other problems as well.

There has been increase in the cases of domestic violence. Since the lockdown, each day in London there are one hundred arrests of persons who have allegedly committed the offence.

Also, it is said that when the courts re-open, they would be overwhelmed with divorce petitions.

But if the benefits of the lockdown are juxtaposed with the problems and pains, mentioned above, the balance truly tilts in favour of following the guidance strictly i.e. stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. I humbly hope that the invisible enemy will be a goner sooner rather than later.

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