The Corona Diaries – Day 138

While the deaths are going down (8 yesterday) the number of cases is steadily going up (1062). This doesn’t bode too well for the future, though, I suppose, if it is mainly young people, and most of them don’t get too ill, it might not be so bad. It could build up a bit of that herd immunity that they were going on about at the beginning of the pandemic. The main problem is that the young pass it on to the more vulnerable and, even though they do not tend to get it too bad, some of them do.

Johnson is saying that schools will open in September. He claims that there is no evidence that the virus is passed on in schools. He lies so much I don’t know how many people will believe him.

Fortunately, it was another beautiful day in Yorkshire – 27 degrees and sunny. So far the Spring and Summer have been good to us. We’ve been able to get out for long walks every day. That makes such a difference. I worry about what might happen when the weather changes and people are indoors much more. That will be a real test of mental stability and our powers of social distancing. This virus loves people being indoors with poor ventilation. It can jump about on the air currents and infect more people. That might be when we get the real test.

Johnson seems to have realised that his wonderful world-beating track and trace system isn’t up to the job. He’s going to do what he should have done in the first place and work with local healthcare to trace infected people – about bloody time. Local people know how to deal with their own patients better than some anonymous central scheme of amateurs.

In the States there were another 48,769 cases with 554 deaths – I guess there are a lot of people achieving real liberty! Until they start realising that social distancing, hand washing and face masks are a biological necessity and not a commie plot and the pandemic isn’t a hoax, they are going to find out the hard way.

Brazil is similar – another 23,010 new cases and 572 deaths – and still Bolsonaro is being a complete jerk.

The world has changed. Already there is a huge amount of economic damage. We might well have to live in this strange surreal unreality for some time to come. At times it feels like a farce – and nothing is really happening, that we’ve all been conned – at other times it feels a bit scary. You could catch this bug and that’s it – finito. It creates a constant tension.

Liz was telling me that she read a report where they sedate people to put them on a ventilator and tell them that it is possible they won’t wake up. I’m not sure I’d like that!

We were discussing today the effect this was having on us. Both of us were noticing a loss of energy, a lack of motivation coupled with an inability to concentrate.

When we first went into lockdown, nearly twenty weeks ago, it was OK. We had to cancel everything. We couldn’t go anywhere or do anything. That was sad but it was also liberating. You didn’t have to think about what you were going to do today or remember appointments. It felt like you had lots of time. We decorated the house. I wrote a couple of books. There was a frenzy of activity. We have energy, time and inspiration.

That seems to have dissipated.

Today I went for a wonderful walk around Driffield, out on the common, past the old mill, through woods, past streams and out on to wildflower meadows. Gorgeous.

Back home I did a little bit of writing and played some Joan Baez.

Right now I’m off to have a meal, a glass or two of wine, and watch some football.

Life isn’t too bad, is it? Stay safe!!