Tony Johnson’s look back at the week that was
It’s been a week of realisations as communities show that there is such a thing as society and that we do care about others – whether or not we know them personally.
The Arrival of the Keir of Starmer
At a national level, the Labour Party have elected Sir Keir Starmer as their new leader.
The proof of his politics will be tested by events, but his opening article in The Sunday Times along with his first interview on TV appeared pragmatic and plainly spoken.
Shute-ing up, down and around
Locally, Wokingham Borough Council’s social media channel has continued to publish information and has included guides on how to give help and where to get it.
The overarching message has continued to be Stay Home – Save Lives.
Meanwhile, the legislation banning elections until May next year has now been passed and the new laws also allow Councils to hold meetings without Councillors having to be present in person.
WBC’s first virtual meetings (Executive and Special Executive) are hoped to be on April 22nd.
Tea supplies assured but …
Thanks to limits on numbers of people and numbers of items allowed to be purchased, along with slightly more considerate shopping, supermarket supplies are slowly returning to normal.
However, it’s become apparent that supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) for carers need to be stepped up if we’re all to cope with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Anti-social distancing
Behaviour in the supermarkets is improving as we realise that staying 2 metres apart really does matter. But there’s still an oblivious or inconsiderate few who decide that they don’t need to follow the guidelines.
One person was observed wandering gormlessly around the store concentrating on a phone call rather than keeping their distance. Then, at the checkout, not one but two people separately decided to come back into the store, brushing past those waiting to be served.
And while reaching across someone else to get a product off the shelf is less frequent it still happens and for some of us, particularly those with underlying health conditions, it’s very frightening. Clearly the message hasn’t fully sunk in.
On the home front
There’s evidence on social media that we’re finding practical ways of helping each other cope while staying home.
Some took old ideas online, with the ERDB Jukebox set up by Earley Residents getting more than 50 songs – with Pink Floyd’s “Wish you were here” being a poignant reminder of what’s temporarily missing.
There was also the first Great #WOKY Pub quiz which proved successful enough that a second one took place on Thursday 9th April at 8pm (https://www.facebook.com/events/667079240770570).
Even an online baking group started up, with just as much fun from sharing disasters as triumphs, plainly evident when a pavlova looked more like a polavva instead.
But as one enterprising family showed, you don’t have to wait for others to organise things and they decided to use Houseparty to run a family trivia quiz.
Under pressure
As the numbers in hospital mount, individual health service workers are telling their stories in their own words, describing what’s going on.
It’s clear that without their dedication, things could be far worse.
Someone described it graphically, so I’ve paraphrased their words: “When you come off a twelve-hour shift utterly exhausted, all you want to do is sleep. The last thing you want to be thinking about is getting over to a supermarket or struggling with online shopping where the next delivery is in the middle of a shift – long after you’re out of food”.
Perhaps it’s an opportunity for an enterprising supermarket manager to find a way of getting the shop to the staff?
Clap for Carers
Thursday saw many of us on our doorsteps to clap, toot, shout, sing and even bagpipe for carers round the Borough.
In the face of some critique about ‘do gooders’ on one of the local social media channels this week (since taken down by the moderators) one lady openly declared her opposition to the mean-spirited by appearing on BBC news wearing a tee shirt with ‘Do Gooder’ blazoned across her chest.
She’s asked us to recognise all of the volunteer sorters and drivers at the Community Hub who have given so much of their time and effort to make it work and support those in real need across the Borough.
We should also recognise the Woodley and the Twyford volunteer groups who’ve now got their local support networks up and running on a road by road basis to ensure those who need help – get it.
What the neighbours said
Staying at home is now in its third week and the British sense of humour is now rated ‘wobbly’.
My cat-loving neighbour told me that the parrot has now learned to say “walkies”. Apparently the cat then runs into hiding and just hisses at them when they try bribing it to come out.
Meanwhile, cartoonists have started work on the socialist distancing between the new Labour leader and the old one.
Excepting ‘les dits du voisins’, that was week three – that was.
