With large sections of society in ‘social-isolation’, one Lichfield resident lifts the lid on her thoughts in the latest of a series of diary posts on the coronavirus outbreak.
I’ve not touched my house keys for exactly two months, so it was a milestone moment to open the front door, lock it behind me and go for a real walk around Stowe Pool.
The handbag stayed behind on the chair, but its day will come.
Time outside used to be simple, but until the virus dies out or a vaccine is found, it’s complicated.
A small group of people stood chatting on the pathway straight ahead. They wished me a pleasant good morning, but made no attempt to move back and create a socially safe space – which meant an immediate calculation of risk, the kind sure to be common in the coming weeks.
I could turn back or complete the circuit. We were, after all, in the open air, so I just kept going and passed them at speed.
A few minutes later, another walker gave me a wide berth, turning her smiling face away. A nice example of inter-stranger etiquette in action.
Keep Calm and Keep your Distance – the perfect T-shirt slogan – could be more effective than the official advice. How can you Stay Alert to something you cannot see?
Something may soon force me farther afield than the local beauty spot, unfortunately. If the toothache that began a few days ago gets any worse, I’ll have to take a long taxi-ride to Tamworth and the nearest emergency dental clinic.
My favourite news story of the week is about dogs and their super-sensitive noses. Trials have begun to see if sniffer dogs can detect the scent of coronavirus in human beings before symptoms appear.
If successful, the labradors and cocker spaniels could screen 250 people in an hour. Some of the dogs have fancy names like Storm or Digby, but one is an encouraging, no-nonsense – Norman.
Tessa also writes on www.pensionista.co.uk – an adventurous take on much later life.
