I wrote this diary throughout lockdown. It provides a fascinating account of the thoughts and feelings, politics and lies, daily life and deaths of the Covid pandemic.
A real bit of living history.
The Corona Diaries – Day 108
Posted on June 30, 2020 by Opher
I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll get to a thousand days? I cannot see an end in sight. They have been looking for a vaccine for SARS for twelve years now. We might have to learn to live with this.
Today there is a second shutdown in Leicester. People are predicting a surge elsewhere.
The virus is already surging again in the USA where it has killed 128,857 (more than the 1st World War, Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq combined!). Because it mainly seems to kill old people it seems more acceptable.
Here in the UK, there were another 153 deaths and 814 new cases. There is still no sign of an app or an effective test, track and isolate programme.
Cheerleader Johnson is doing his jolly jolly talking up. Schools will all be back in September, air corridors will open so you can go abroad on holiday, he’s going to boost jobs and the economy with a massive building programme. The trouble is that he’s a world-beating windbag who never delivers – all mouth and no trousers!
Seems wishful thinking to me. The more likely scenario is that we’ll have a big second wake and lose thousands of more lives and have to shut everything down again. World-beating??? If only we could be like Japan, Germany, Vietnam, Taiwan, New Zealand or all those minor third world countries that seem to be on top of the virus. This is a real inept performance all round. I hope they bloody answer for it!
So today I put on my Blind Willie Johnson and cheered myself up. I went for a long walk up on my hill and then went around for an SD visit with my son Barny. It was his birthday today!! It is so strange having birthday’s in lockdown. He’s a teacher, so is in with kids and at risk. Not an easy time.
Never mind, there’s footie on tonight!!
Stay safe!!
The Corona Diaries – Day 109
Posted on July 11, 2020 by Opher
As the virus goes mad in the USA, hopefully providing the end of Trump, it is still going strong in the UK. 512 new cases and 148 more deaths. But we are being urged not to work at home and to go to restaurants. But you have wear a magic facemask.
They worry about the economy and jobs.
A second lockdown looms!! I’m the new Nostradamus.
As for me – I pulled a calf muscle and so, for the first day in 109 days I missed my daily walk. Instead, we went to the pub and had a meal with friends – safely ensconced at a table outside.
In the evening we watched a documentary about Live Aid, Bob Geldof and Africa.
It brought it home. Life is cheap. As long as the wealthy keep getting richer the world keeps turning. Get back to work! The rich need your money!!
You know, the world doesn’t really have to run this way!
The Corona Diaries – Day 110
Posted on July 12, 2020
I’m a little housebound today with this strained calf muscle. But it did give me an excuse to watch cricket. I’ve also been playing my Coasters albums. They always cheer me up.
We both seem to have developed a bit of the summer sniffles. As we’ve been in isolation one wonders how we have managed to pick that up? Maybe it’s just an allergic reaction to the paint?
So, I hobbled around the house and managed to do some mowing. I worked on a few poems and generally moped. I don’t like being injured or restricted.
My outrage at the destruction of the local habitat is being published in the Driffield and Wolds Weekly next Tuesday. I think that will change the world!
Outside in the mayhem we call society, everything is nearly back to normal. Johnson is now calling for people not to work from home. Seemingly they don’t buy lunches or use transport and that means jobs are under threat. Who cares about efficiency, or the virus, or the pollution levels – get to the bloody office!
I really don’t think anybody knows what we are officially meant to be doing anymore. There is no clear guidance. How many people can we meet up with and where? Who the fuck knows? Should we wear facemasks in shops? Well, I read two conflicting reports in two papers. Isn’t it great to have such brilliant leadership?
The virus has 512 (official) new cases and 48 deaths – so it continues to come down for the moment but still poses a threat. It seems to me that with a bit of leadership and a good track and isolate policy we could eradicate it. Except, despite claims of world-beating systems, we still do not have a credible system and no app whatsoever. We also don’t have leadership – apart from Cummings who is probably happy that all the old folk are being killed off.
Talking of Cummings – isn’t it amazing how much sneaks through under the radar these days? It appears that Gove and Cummings have awarded a contract to a firm they support without putting it out to tender. You don’t suppose they get a reward for that, do you?
It seems that the USA, Brazil and India are the breeding ground for the virus. The USA is going berserk. There were 66,766 new cases and another 729 deaths. When those new cases start worsening there are going to be a lot more deaths. I bet Trump is out golfing and urging everyone to get back to work immediately.
In Brazil, it is 39,000 new cases and 1071 deaths. I hope Bolsonaro gets a real bad dose so that he knows what his ‘little flu’ is really like.
Meanwhile, the insane polarisation into left and right continues. Hate, confusion, fake news and cynicism are the new currency as the populists fuel the division for their own ends. Both sides believe the other is insane and only they know the truth. What a world.
Stay safe!! It might get better!