Lockdown windows opening

Lockdown windows opening. 

March 8th. 

The first opening of lockdown. A window is open to the world as we once knew it. The schools return in England. Scotland and Wales have staggered returns but in essence, the kids are back.

A  regime of testing is in place, at least officially, for secondary school pupils. As usual confusion and chaos reigns as to access and implementation but in theory it should help prevent the repeated closures that marked last year.

Parents across the land are delighted, ecstatic. Children of all ages have embraced school with a previously unimaginable enthusiasm. 

It seems to me that the youth of today deserve a medal. Voiceless and disempowered, forced to give up everything of joy and sit indoors hour after hour of home schooling, no friendship outings, no sports, no social activities, most have simply got on with it. 

Teenagers have shown stoicism we adults struggle with. Now they face uncertain grades for gsces and a levels and thus an uncertain future. Ignored, overlooked and taken for granted, I wish this generation all the luck in the world.

Me, nothing changes. This first window has opened but I am in other rooms of the house where my windows are firmly shut.

Nothing more changes until March 29th when the rule of 6 outside comes in. Assuming this mass return to education does not cause a spike. In which case I and millions of others will be beyond despair.

I know I am not alone in struggling with deep depression. Every morning I wake with a heavy sense of unhappiness. It has pervaded every bit of my body like a virus. The irony is not lost on me.

Infection rates are now down to 28 per 100,000 in lewes, death rates nationally were below 100 daily for the first time for months, and yet still our life is closed down. closed in, locked away by corrupt and inefficient politicians who are literally holding our lives in their hands.

Anger is surfacing amongst my peers. We are vaccinated, but for what? I still cannot see my grandchildren. I cannot (officially) leave my house for non essential journeys although the rush hour traffic is a measure of this particular unfunny joke. 

Oh but I forgot, there was another give away on march 8th, I can now sit with another person for coffee outside. What you mean I couldn't before, haha, yet another joke. 

These laws are ridiculous. A year has passed. If vaccinations work, let us out. We have no safety net given this Government's appalling failures of mass testing, PPE, contact tracing apps, etc etc. but they are keen to tell us this is nothing compared to the success of the vaccine program. Then let me out please! Before I climb out the window myself and sod the consequences.