A Week in the Shadow of the COVID-19 Coronavirus

A fast moving week of panic and adjustment in the UK

We’re self-isolating. My sister and her family went before us, after my nephew came down with fever symptoms. Her boss is pregnant so she took the news of the self-imposed house arrest well enough; understandably she doesn’t want the risk. The rest of my sister’s family are less welcoming of the measures, everyone has to stay in and everyone wants to go out.

But it’s their civic duty to remain indoors, they’re doing the right thing. It’s one of the only things we can do in these uneasy times. It’s a medieval, Black Plague approach to disease prevention; mark your door with paint, don’t leave the house. It’s not much, but it’s all we’ve got right now.

When my 3 year old developed a temperature, with a consistent cough, we decided to do the same.

I didn’t want to, self-isolation seems daunting, hysterical, almost ludicrous, but it does provide some sense of control and the government have been telling us this is the protocol to follow for some time now, if we want to put “downward pressure” on the bell curve of infection rates.

A few days ago, Boris Johnson began daily, televised updates. On day 2 he announced they were closing schools indefinitely.