We turned a huge corner today in England. We’re still in Lockdown 3, we’re still fighting the virus with millions of vaccinations, our hospitals are still bursting, but, for the first time, we might actually have a clear and sensible way out of it! Today the government announced the roadmap.
It was as though a fresh Spring breeze swept softly across the nation. There was suddenly talk of beer gardens, of barbecues, of weddings, and sports events! There was longing for family gatherings, of parties and nightclubs and restaurants, and perhaps even an end to tiers and restrictions altogether! Hope was glistening at the bottom of Pandora’s empty box.
Not all at once though. Provided that the R rate stays low and the numbers keep dropping, there are five very specific dates to look out for. And each one is going to feel like a mini gust of joy...
March 8th. Back To School Day, 14 days away:
All schools reopen. This might well be the most crucial one of all, as it’s likely schools will be transmission hotspots. Apparently you can also meet someone on a bench for a coffee, if that floats your boat. Take a mask though. And your own coffee. And your own boat.
March 29th, Back to Sixes Day, 35 days away
The ‘rule of six’ is back for outdoor gatherings. My guess is that the air will be filled with the smoke and sound of barbecues. We still have to stay local though, so I can’t go too far for a burnt burger on a paper plate.
April 12th, Haircut Day, 49 days away
Salons, gyms, beer gardens and outdoor restaurants are all open for snips, flips, drips, and lips respectively. Shopkeepers breathe a sigh of relief, though unfortunately too late for Easter. I might get my haircut, though it’s likely they’ll need the big scissors by then.
May 17th, Big Travel Day, 84 days away
This is when you can fly internationally, meet 30 of your best pals outside, and get back to watching sport in stadiums. Two-household parties are back and I can go and see my parents for dinner again.
June 21st, Liberation Day, 119 days away
Everything is open, everything is normal, the season of singing is heard in our land and all restrictions are finally lifted. Dancing in the streets, bunting and ticker-tape, tears of joy.
Will we make it? I don’t know; a lot needs to happen, and Haircut Day, Big Travel Day and Liberation Day are stipulated as ‘no earlier than’. But it’s so good to have a plan nevertheless, to have dates to aim for and look forward to! In a way, the government have been brave, pinning down dates like that. Any failure to meet the nation’s surge of optimism on those dates, will be treated as a failure of competence on their part, not ours. And that’s despite them layering on the cautious caveats today.
They would have known that though and yet they still went ahead with announcing the fixed dates. So today’s news makes me feel hopeful anyway. It will have done a lot of good for people who are struggling.
There’s an end point; there is a WATIO after all, and it might well be less than 120 days away, just in time for an unforgettable summer! I hope so. The government hope so, and the Queen’s England certainly does too.
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