Page 385 - She's One Crazy Lady!

“Little did we know then that our coffee and chat morning on Thursday March 9th would be
our very last
– lockdown starting on March 23rd
– the day the world changed!
”
In January news reports were telling us that a new Covid – 19 virus was spreading in a region of China with vast numbers of people dying. The virus was also being transmitted abroad. At our office we weren’t too concerned, thinking it would hopefully die out before reaching our shores and our community. People laughed at me when I said we should follow Government guidelines by putting up signs to remind people to wash their hands etc. I had a Duty of Care to our team and to our visitors. Then, with the virus spreading more widely, we listened to our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on the television when he bluntly said: “You will lose loved ones. People will die before their time.” This was very worrying and frightening. We listened to reports of what was happening in other neighbouring countries. Many people were dying, some in dreadful, inhumane circumstances and the images of dozens of people being whisked into hospital by medical teams who looked like aliens, dressed in their protective clothing, overrun hospital departments, local morgues being set up – ‘just in case’ – brought the reality and the seriousness of this now worldwide pandemic to the fore. This was real and before we knew it the Prime Minister declared our country would have to go into ‘lockdown’. Little did we know then that our coffee and chat morning on Thursday March 9th would be our very last – lockdown starting on March 23rd – the day the world changed! It was so, so hard to comprehend – for everyone. What were the implications for the country – for us – being in Lockdown? How long would it last? Would we lose anyone? Would we get Covid? Would we really lose loved ones?
So began the process of having to cancel all up and coming events, way into the future. Emotionally it was hard. Getting to speak to people
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