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A Week in the Shadow of the COVID-19 Coronavirus – Part 4
It’s been an uncertain seven days
My job has been furloughed. It happened out of the blue. I got a call from my line manager on Monday telling me the news.
Being “furloughed” is a phenomenon that has arisen since this crisis started. It’s when employers put jobs on hold and the UK government covers 80% of salary costs out of an emergency fund.
It’s meant to prevent mass redundancies across the country, so it doesn’t mean I’m out of a job yet. Rather, I’m in employment purgatory, left to be judged by the powers that be as to what will happen to me, depending on how deep this crisis goes.
Losing a job with savings and employable skills under my belt isn’t a big deal normally, but if the economy is decimated, who will be hiring? I’ve resented my corporate cog role for many years, but now I’m feeling untethered and vulnerable.
I can only begin to empathise with those who are self-employed and already being battered by these winds of change.
To add to the dystopian ambience, news has come through that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in intensive care, taken down by his COVID-19 infection. I hope he comes through this, not only because he’s another human being, but also I fear losing a leader to the very…
