If the coronavirus pandemic has really cemented one thing for me, it's how fear can control people.
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Yes, there have been government restrictions on our behaviours over the past couple of months, and hefty fines for ignoring them.
But in the early days of the spread of the virus, there was a genuine sense of fear. People stayed home because they had to, yes. But they also were genuinely afraid of the threat to their health. They stayed their distance away from you, because they were genuinely afraid of the risk to their health.
Our region has been lucky to escape, thus far, a widespread outbreak or cluster of COVID-19. People aren't quite so afraid anymore, and they haven't been afraid for a while now.
You can see it in the shops and supermarkets, the past couple of weeks. It's back to the old business of the person behind you in the queue standing so close that if you took a step backwards you might knock them over. (What is it about these people that think if they keep nudging and nudging you forward, they'll somehow hurry the whole process up?) I thought one of the only upsides to the whole pandemic was the fact I could go to the supermarket without some rude fellow shopper all but nudging me in the back!
It's great we are not "afraid" any more, and that life is starting to return to something akin to normal. But we can't just ignore the social distancing guidelines. It seems like such a small price to pay for now, doesn't it?
Julie Coe
Acting Editor