People who have done well out of 2020

2020 has been shit. But to prove that it is possible to make money out of a crisis, here is a tongue in cheek list of people who have done well out of this year.

Perspex screen makers – they must be doing a roaring trade!
Metal barrier makers – people needed barriers to queue along
People who make that yellow tape – this was everywhere this year!
Cleaning companies – extra cleaning is required. They must be doing well.
People who make face coverings – Etsy and eBay are full of them. Well done!
Amazon deliverers – We have kept them busy enough at our house.
Supermarket security guards – It needs someone to man those queues.
Arrow sticker makers – One way direction arrows were everywhere this year.
People who make hand sanitiser

The Rhythm Of The Night

I wanted to describe our recent experience of the Coronavirus world.

On Monday 21st September our youngest started with a cold. After months of barely coming into contact with anyone, it was inevitable that we all would catch colds. We thought nothing of it. That evening our daughter started with a cold as well – again we thought nothing of it.

The following day our daughter was sent home from school because she wasn’t looking well. As her mum works at the school she took her temperature and it was high. Mum, and two children were both sent home straightaway as there were coronavirus symptoms. I phoned and I had to leave work as well. It was time to go into self-isolation until we received a negative result.

It took around six hours before we could finally book a test. The test was the next day in Warrington. Quite a way to travel, but that was the nearer slot. The test is not pleasant. You have to rub the swab on the tonsils right at the back of the throat for 10-15 seconds. You then use the same swab to put up a nostril and swab the inside of the nose for 10-15 seconds as well. You pop the swab into a tube, seal it all and hand it back.

The test took place in a car park. Someone directs you and guides you through the process. It’s all a bit surreal really. But the car park was very quiet and there were maybe 10-20 cars there.

The children’s results came through the next day, in exactly 24 hours. Our daughter’s was negative but our son’s was positive! We were in shock. What we presumed was just a cold was actually the virus. We had to notify the schools where we work, as well as anyone who he had come into contact with at the weekend. Later in the day Test and Trace contacted us and, over a long phone call, they took the details of everyone formally and any places where we had spent time over the eating, e.g. eating out. He had also had a haircut so we had to pass over their details.

The children were doing ok but we could not get their temperatures to stay down, although their cold symptoms gradually began to fade.

My wife’s school asked her to do a test which she did using a postal kit. She received a negative result in three days.

At last weekend I started with a cold and feeling rough and a high temperature started. So I booked another test for Monday. This one was to be in Runcorn. Once again, it was in a car park. There were literally two other cars in there. I received a negative result in 18 hours.

As I am asthmatic, my cold, like typical, started to aggravate my chest and I started with a cough. So a couple of days later I went for a second test – this time in Deeside. (This test centre was something more permanent and so it was like arriving at the scene of a movie.) I was also able to see a doctor but had to drive to the local hospital to do this which was also surreal. I was prescribed steroids and antibiotics. Another negative result arrived later that evening.

So here we are on day 11 of self-isolation. We have had one positive test and the rest of us are negative. The child with a positive test had very mild symptoms. I have had worse symptoms but have tested negative twice. Two schools have been disrupted as we haven’t been able to go into work. Two classes (50 children) at the children’s school were sent home for two weeks and their families were disrupted. One of my son’s friends had to close half of his business down as they needed to take it in turns to stay at home to keep their son at home. My mum, brother, two sisters-in-law, one with a boyfriend and baby all had to stay at home. Friends have been able to do things like shopping and running errands for us. Although I first thought that I might save some money on petrol, I have driven to Warrington, Runcorn, Deeside and Leighton – over 140 miles – for tests and to see a doctor. Massive disruption to our lives and also to our friends’ and family’s lives. We are confused, shocked, fed up, feeling useless and anxious. What a couple of weeks it has been.

We finally get to move back on with our lives on Wednesday.

2020 words and things

Here is a list of words that I didn’t say or rarely said, and didn’t do or rarely did before 2020.

  • Coronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Social bubble
  • Antibody test
  • Social distancing
  • Covid-secure
  • Barnard Castle
  • Lockdown
  • Marmite peanut butter
  • Queuing outside supermarkets
  • School closures
  • Schools reopening (although they never really closed)
  • Remote learning
  • PPE for teachers
  • Dominic Cummings
  • Zoom
  • What? Petrol is less than a pound a litre?
  • Cadbury Darkmilk
  • New normal
  • ‘Stay safe’
  • “Can I have the next slide please?”

Amazing things that people are doing during the lockdown (3)

Cheshire Live have shared this brilliant story of someone having fun and creating happiness during the lockdown.

A dad of two has been challenging his neighbours to a daily game of Where’s Wally to provide some light relief during coronavirus lockdown.

Each day as part of his allocated daily exercise, Wayne Maybury has dressed up as the main character from Where’s Wally and challenged the people of his home village of Haslington to take pictures of wherever they spot him.

The 46-year-old, who runs his own social media company, thought it would be a good way to make use of his spare time and improve the mental health of his neighbours.