As a counterpoint to the Lockdown one, perhaps I (and others of course) can share how it's going on the outside, keyworking, public facing world. Don't mean it to be self-indulgent, but hopefully my observations and insights might be of interest. Admittedly I see the worst of the general public, I'm sure there are many people (like the good OTF'ers) obeying the orders, staying home and social distancing on their neighbourhood exercise, but I don't see them, so maybe I'm overstating how badly it's going.
Why the Lockdown isn't working:
Workers
It's not just me (food retail), the NHS and the emergency services who are out at work. Waiting for the bus this morning, the road was probably 80% of normal, with the usual cars and vans with high-viz clad occupants. Factories, warehouses, transport... basically any business that hasn't been told to shut down hasn't, and because the lockdown was phrased as "don't go to work unless it's essential for you to be there (i.e. you can't work from home), an awful lot of people who can't drive a forklift or operate an injection moulding machine at home, are still working and their workplace is open.
The phrasing should of course have been "unless your job is essential [to the fight against the virus/maintenance of civil life]", and it should have been followed with an announcement of the closure of all non-essential businesses. It's what Italy eventually did, but why not be ahead of their playbook, which is not playing out at all well for them.
A hint (OK, a dollop) of inverted snobbery from me here, but a lot of the media coverage has the tone of "we're all working from home and in isolation now...", with attendant memes and lulz on social media. And then they're incredulous that all these people are piling on to the tube every morning. It's because they get paid less than you and so can't afford to live where you do, and they still have to work because they can't afford not to.
We're moving from Saturday to Sunday timetables here next week, which will make it more awkward to get to work on time, but won't actually solve the problem of having to go to work at the open, non-essential workplaces.
It's not being taken seriously
At the shop we've taken steps to enforce social distancing (security, limited admittance, barriers, tramlines, one way system, announcements, signage), all of which are making shopping less of a pleasure, but I'd still estimate half of the shoppers have come because it's something they're allowed to do, not something that they absolutely have to do. They're still trying to turn up en famille (and getting turned away, 1 shopper per household only unless it's one parent with children). They're also shopping at multiple places, I'm hearing "we'll get that at Xxxxxx", and there are groups turning up who don't obviously live together, getting crates of beer to go and enjoy the sunshine somewhere.
Eventually it will start to get through that by being in the shop, you are potentially risking lives. It should be an ESSENTIAL shopping trip, where you or someone you know has run out of food. Not a top-up shop, not to buy one or two ingredients or a special treat. Just go without for another day or two, you've got enough food in, remember when you kept coming in and stripping the shelves?
Elsewhere, in the town centre, it's much quieter than normal and there's some social distancing with those who are out, but there are still people with no obvious reason to be there, and the usual gatherings outside the 24 hour international shops.
The above all relates to:
Lack of enforcement
I've not even seen a police presence on my travels and have only heard one anecdotal report of a checkpoint. If virtually no one is being challenged, then they will carry on as they are. Increased enforcement will only deter the casual transgressor, rather than the determined repeat offender, but something is better than virtually nothing. There is now a letter for me and colleagues to carry, but it's not even on letterheaded paper, so doesn't lead me to expect much of an interrogation. Perhaps the new law will ramp it up a bit, and the upcoming cold weather will put off the daytrippers, but like the obstacles at the shop, there needs to be something which annoys people to the extent that they think twice before making a non-essential journey.
Have the police take their names, whatever their reason to be out, a lot of people a) won't like it for various reasons and b) will think that the police have the means may to look them up next time they get stopped (which they won't, but they don't know that). Failing that, army on the streets, SIM card tracking, whatever it takes to make them STAY AT HOME.
What is working
Social distancing on the bus. We've got it, mainly because given a choice people always choose a seat as far away from anyone else as possible, and now they're half empty it's easier.
As the above suggests, it's a worrying and stressful existence, especially with virtually no testing going on. And, although I'm not privy to much in the way of confidential information, the impression I get from the preparations that are being made higher up suggest they know it is about to get extremely bad, very soon. Maybe that will shake people up. In recent days I've moved from not knowing anyone who had actually got the virus, to a husband of a distant, barely known colleague, to someone I know's brother, then a friend's uncle.. all in ICU, on life support. They were probably piling into the shops stocking up on bog roll a couple of weeks ago. Or saying it was all a load of rubbish, only the flu...
Why the Lockdown isn't working:
Workers
It's not just me (food retail), the NHS and the emergency services who are out at work. Waiting for the bus this morning, the road was probably 80% of normal, with the usual cars and vans with high-viz clad occupants. Factories, warehouses, transport... basically any business that hasn't been told to shut down hasn't, and because the lockdown was phrased as "don't go to work unless it's essential for you to be there (i.e. you can't work from home), an awful lot of people who can't drive a forklift or operate an injection moulding machine at home, are still working and their workplace is open.
The phrasing should of course have been "unless your job is essential [to the fight against the virus/maintenance of civil life]", and it should have been followed with an announcement of the closure of all non-essential businesses. It's what Italy eventually did, but why not be ahead of their playbook, which is not playing out at all well for them.
A hint (OK, a dollop) of inverted snobbery from me here, but a lot of the media coverage has the tone of "we're all working from home and in isolation now...", with attendant memes and lulz on social media. And then they're incredulous that all these people are piling on to the tube every morning. It's because they get paid less than you and so can't afford to live where you do, and they still have to work because they can't afford not to.
We're moving from Saturday to Sunday timetables here next week, which will make it more awkward to get to work on time, but won't actually solve the problem of having to go to work at the open, non-essential workplaces.
It's not being taken seriously
At the shop we've taken steps to enforce social distancing (security, limited admittance, barriers, tramlines, one way system, announcements, signage), all of which are making shopping less of a pleasure, but I'd still estimate half of the shoppers have come because it's something they're allowed to do, not something that they absolutely have to do. They're still trying to turn up en famille (and getting turned away, 1 shopper per household only unless it's one parent with children). They're also shopping at multiple places, I'm hearing "we'll get that at Xxxxxx", and there are groups turning up who don't obviously live together, getting crates of beer to go and enjoy the sunshine somewhere.
Eventually it will start to get through that by being in the shop, you are potentially risking lives. It should be an ESSENTIAL shopping trip, where you or someone you know has run out of food. Not a top-up shop, not to buy one or two ingredients or a special treat. Just go without for another day or two, you've got enough food in, remember when you kept coming in and stripping the shelves?
Elsewhere, in the town centre, it's much quieter than normal and there's some social distancing with those who are out, but there are still people with no obvious reason to be there, and the usual gatherings outside the 24 hour international shops.
The above all relates to:
Lack of enforcement
I've not even seen a police presence on my travels and have only heard one anecdotal report of a checkpoint. If virtually no one is being challenged, then they will carry on as they are. Increased enforcement will only deter the casual transgressor, rather than the determined repeat offender, but something is better than virtually nothing. There is now a letter for me and colleagues to carry, but it's not even on letterheaded paper, so doesn't lead me to expect much of an interrogation. Perhaps the new law will ramp it up a bit, and the upcoming cold weather will put off the daytrippers, but like the obstacles at the shop, there needs to be something which annoys people to the extent that they think twice before making a non-essential journey.
Have the police take their names, whatever their reason to be out, a lot of people a) won't like it for various reasons and b) will think that the police have the means may to look them up next time they get stopped (which they won't, but they don't know that). Failing that, army on the streets, SIM card tracking, whatever it takes to make them STAY AT HOME.
What is working
Social distancing on the bus. We've got it, mainly because given a choice people always choose a seat as far away from anyone else as possible, and now they're half empty it's easier.
As the above suggests, it's a worrying and stressful existence, especially with virtually no testing going on. And, although I'm not privy to much in the way of confidential information, the impression I get from the preparations that are being made higher up suggest they know it is about to get extremely bad, very soon. Maybe that will shake people up. In recent days I've moved from not knowing anyone who had actually got the virus, to a husband of a distant, barely known colleague, to someone I know's brother, then a friend's uncle.. all in ICU, on life support. They were probably piling into the shops stocking up on bog roll a couple of weeks ago. Or saying it was all a load of rubbish, only the flu...
Comment