The Numbers
268 new deaths taking total to 31,855. We are now 3rd in the table with only Spain and the USA reporting higher numbers of cases than us.
The News
The PM gave a statement tonight at 7pm to outline the “road map” to the end of the lockdown.
Essentially, no dramatic changes but they have said that people who can’t work from home should try and go back to work tomorrow. They should not use public transport and either walk, cycle or drive to work.
The public can take more exercise outside the home from Wednesday, and maybe go and sit in parks or travel away from home to exercise.
Schools might open from the 1st of June and bars and restaurants might be able to open in July or August.
The 14 day quarantine for people traveling into the country has been confirmed, but no details on how this will be enforced have been given.
They have changed their slogan from Stay at Home > Protect the NHS > Save Lives to Stay Alert > Control the Virus > Save Lives.
It’s all a bit vague and peppered with IFs. It has been announced alongside a new alert system with 5 stages. It will reflect the R numbers and the rate of new infections. 1 will represent no virus in the community and 5 the NHS completely overwhelmed. We have been running at Level 4 since March and are moving towards 3.
The devolved nations, and Scotland in particular, have been adamant that they are not easing any restrictions yet. There is evidently considerable discord developing between the different country leaders.
Each stage of the exit plan will be tested and if R or the number of infections, and therefore the alert level, goes up restrictions will be re-imposed.
It’s worth noting here that infection rates have risen in Germany and South Korea since they have eased some of their lockdown restrictions.
Clearly, none of this is relative to the “shielded” and M has started to receive almost daily text messages reminding him about what he should be doing.
The New Way of Life
We had a quiet day today to try and make it feel like a Sunday. The weather has changed. It’s wet and cold so I read in bed in the morning. I finished The Testaments. I really enjoyed it. I love the way Margaret Atwood writes. Unpretentious style, good stories, great plot and brilliant characters. I enjoyed finding out what happened to some of the characters from the Handmaids Tale.
I ordered a couple of other books and they arrived today. I had told myself I should read all the books in the house that I haven’t read before buying any more, but I just couldn’t make myself do it! I really wanted to read the sequel to a book I read a while back called The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J Walker. It’s a post-apocalyptic story (meteor strike) about a man who has to get from Scotland to Cornwall to catch his wife and kids before they are evacuated by ship. He basically runs all the way. The sequel is called the End of the World Survivors Club and picks up the story with the wife and kids. I bought that!
I also bought a book by Dean R Koontz called The Eyes of Darkness. It’s purported to one of his better books and the one in which he accidentally predicted the current coronavirus outbreak back in 1981! I bought that too!
We went for a walk in the afternoon and had roast chicken for Sunday Lunch. We watched a slightly irritating movie about a group of old women rediscovering their sex lives called The Book Club. It was what they call a gentle romantic comedy. It didn’t blow me away I’m afraid.
jswritingservices.com 