As daily briefings from Number 10 have continued this past week, those who didn’t follow their own advice on Covid-19 are now affected by it.
Distanced by social isolation; questions from journalists only appearing via a screen; but as some have yet learn, virtual reality is the new reality.
Tea supplies assured
John Cleese’s apocryphal threat level for the UK has been dialled back from “A Bit Cross” as supermarkets have kept supplies of tea going, but it was at “Irritated” until they began restocking loo rolls and dried foodstuffs at the weekend.
Most stores had adopted the one-out; one-in; model of shopping and while queues outside looked long, as prospective shoppers maintained their 2 metre social distance, they moved quickly enough in the sunshine.
Inside the store was a different matter, particularly at one checkout on Saturday when not one but two people decided they would just squeeze past. One wonders if they recognise that six-foot temporary horizontal spacing today is far better than six-foot vertical spacing forever?
Shute-ing up, down and around
From the initial A5 leaflet, published virtually on March 18th and 19th, Wokingham Borough Council worked hard on communicating with everyone online.
Their social media channel has continued to publish information and has included details of closures, changes and advice:
March 17th Want to help your community?
March 18th Check trusted sources for updates Do you need support?
March 19th Covid-19 latest update Want to help your community ?
March 20th School closures and key workers Social Distancing
Closed Leisure Centres Country park cafes closed
March 22nd 350 volunteers and counting Libraries closed
Advice for pet owners
March 23rd Sunday bus times Play areas closed
Shute End reception closed “Stay home – stay safe”
March 24th “Stay at home” Recycling Centres closed
Dinton Pastures activities closed
March 25th “Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” Businesses who Offer home delivery ? Optalis care recruiting Parking enforcement relaxed
Business support
March 26th All Country Park car parks closed Business rates & council tax
March 27th Help in case of domestic abuse Support for self employed
Help us help you Do you need support?
Please be kind At home exercises
March 28th “Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” “Thank you NHS”
Covid-19 scams
March 29th “Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” Resources for teaching at home
No politics please, we’re skittish
Around the borough, moderators (admins) of the various social media groups have taken different approaches as to which matters of fact, opinion and news can be posted and their guidance has evolved over the past couple of weeks.
It started on the 18th, with one group saying that any Covid-19 related posts would be limited to trusted sources in order to limit fake news, panic or hysteria. This view was supported by some other groups.
By the 20th, a number of groups were refusing to allow posts of empty shelves, gibberish or “bovine output”.
By the 23rd, one group stated it would delete any overtly political posts (though others had already been quietly doing this) while on another group a rather venomous political post from a non-resident of that area is still visible.
A ray of sunshine popped up at the end of the week as one group proposed holding a street party when it’s all over and wondering if Nine Mile Ride would be long enough?
Fed up with fake news
Over in the west of the Borough, Wednesday morning’s posting on a Conservative social media Newsline said that an Executive meeting at WBC the previous night had described the [Local Plan] proposals for Grazeley Garden Town as being “completely redundant” and “impossible to build”.
The prospective Conservative candidate for Shinfield South viewed this as great news and promptly posted to that effect on local social media community groups.
Local elation turned to disbelief as it emerged that the Executive meeting hadn’t actually been the previous night, it was planned for the following night – and it was cancelled anyway.
Then things got even worse – and it was subsequently alleged that even what was said wasn’t right, also that this was the fourth time that the candidate had been provided with “facts” that weren’t correct.
She took her posting down in the afternoon, the original Newsline got taken down that night and an anodyne substitute appeared in its place the following day.
In the candidate’s resignation speech on the Shinfield and Spencers Wood Community groups on Thursday she lambasted the leakers, their subsequent silence, as well as their inaccuracy – concluding with a view that she’d better things to do and would be enjoying the sunshine, “plus a G&T or two”.
Supermarkets are now rumoured to be re-stocking their tonic water shelves, ‘quite soon’.
Clap for Carers
Yes, I know it’s an unfortunate title, after all they’ve got to deal with, but it isn’t only the Doctors and Nurses who deserve our admiration and applause.
While it might be on a lesser scale, those supporting their communities deserve acknowledgement too and we should recognise WBC’s Community Development team in Norreys who’ve been calling those in need to make sure they’re well, to organise food and prescription deliveries, and to be a personal contact during self-isolation.
There are others who deserve our cheers – so please write in to say who should also be recognised.
What the neighbours said
As we British get used to staying at home, there are signs that the quintessentially stiff upper lip may be quivering as outbreaks of humour have been spreading fast online.
One neighbour told me that their nerves were shot as they asked where they could get a suitably sized lead to take their cat out for a walk, while another claimed that hazard pay had been scaled back for Andrex delivery drivers.
Minus the ende-lügen, that was the second week.
