Coronavirus entry 21: A visit to the Doctor

Today I had to go to the Doctors to get a blood test as I am due my yearly review. I wouldn't normally blog about this but given the crisis we are currently in, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about going. 

There were quite a few rules to follow, but I wasn't complaining:

1) only turn up at the exact time of appointment

2) you MUST wear a mask

3) you MUST use the hand sanitiser 

4) don't try and attempt to enter the surgery - a member of staff will let you in

5) sit 2 meters apart

6) do not use toilets

7) do not attend appointment if feeling unwell 

As soon as I was there it was probably the best appointment I've ever been to! It was so quiet and hardly anyone there - definitely the way forward for future appointments! If it wasn't for the massive coughing fit I had whilst in the waiting area, the look of pure terror on the faces of the receptionists, followed by a quick exit to clear my throat and an explanation that sounded like I was making up the world's worst excuse, I think it would have been quite a successful visit! 

Definitely one visit I won't forget in a long time! 

Coronavirus entry 20: let's open our doors again

Boris Johnson addressed the country this afternoon to update results on their plan to rebuild life after lockdown, and confirmed with the number of people getting the Coronavirus, and the number of people dying from it are both going down, we are now in a position to open up a lot more premises and venues. 

From Saturday 4th July the following are now allowed to reopen: hotels, B&B's and self contained holiday accommodation, caravan parks, camp sites, places of worships, libraries, restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, social clubs, cinemas, bingo halls, museums and galleries, hair salons and barbers, outdoor playgrounds and outdoor gyms. 

There are certain Government rules they still have to follow to ensure the health and safety of customers, but this is progress that so many people are happy to hear today. 

Nightclubs, indoor gyms and swimming pools must remain closed for the time being because of the risks they still hold. 

Your household can also meet with one other household at a time, including staying the night. This can be indoors, outside, at your home, at a restaurant, pub or in paid accommodation. We have to remain socially distant from anyone outside your household still, but this is such good news for families who haven't seen each other for so long. 

Shielders still need to stay as they are but plans are in place to help them going forward however we need to wait for those to be announced. It's all very positive news today though, so let's hope this doesn't cause any problems or spikes. 

For me, personally, I'm not fussed about going back to clubs or bars, all I want is to be able to see all of my family. That is my priority and focus. 

Coronavirus entry 19: A little update

So today is Monday and marks the start of a new week. Matt Hancock has delivered his daily stats update and confirmed over 8 million tests have now been carried out on people in England to determine if they have had the virus or not.

For the first time since the peak, the number of confirmed cases is now under 1,000 (958) and 330 people are currently on ventilators, down from 395 last week. There are also fewer than 5000 people in hospitals with the coronavirus

There were 15 reported deaths yesterday - the lowest figure since 15th March, however they are aware this is a weekend figure so these could rise over the next few days. About a month ago 1 in 400 people had the virus, and now it is more like 1 in 1700.

Tomorrow the Prime Minister is going to announce the next stage of his plan so it will be interesting to see what he says.

There are still 2.2 million people shielding in England who have been delivered medicine, support and more than 3 million food boxes, but they are hoping to rules in the next few weeks so that people can come together and bubble up. 

Coronavirus entry 18: Happy Father's Day

Today is Father's Day and I would have usually arranged to spend the weekend with my Dad, but with the social distancing rules still being a bit shady, we decided it was probably best to leave it a little bit longer. However, it didn't stop us doing something special!

My brother, sister and I arranged for a hamper of our Dad's favourite things to be delivered to him and we got together on Zoom this morning to wish him well and watch him open his presents; which he absolutely loved! 

It may not have been the usual way we would have celebrated but it was really lovely that we could still get together and have some time with him and right now, doing it this way is far more important than not doing anything at all.

Happy Father's Day Dad. I love you so much xxx

Coronavirus entry 17: I got my cuddles!

Today I hugged my sister; the first cuddle I have since lockdown and we absolutely balled my eyes out with happy tears! Never have I hugged someone as tight as what I hugged my Suzy! It was the best feeling and I didn't want to let her go, however we both had a very confused toddler looking at us with serious concern when she saw the tears, so we both very quickly started laughing and very quickly defused the moment! 

Unfortunately, my niece wasn't as quick to cuddle me as my sister was, but it wasn't long before she was holding my hand and walking around the garden with me, picking leaves and flowers and playing football! Thankfully when we sat down to have a drink, she happily sat on my lap then the cuddles commenced. It was perfect! 

I spent all day with the two of them and it was the best day I have had in such a long time. My heart felt full again and when I got home, I did actually have a little cry, but it was because I was so happy! I've heard a lot of people say living alone during this pandemic must be easy and less stressful, but it's been so tough. I am SO grateful for today, and what's even better is, I am going back to see them both tomorrow.

I absolutely cannot wait! 

Coronavirus entry 16: My bubble

So we have had the best news from Boris this week. He's said as of Monday, single adults living alone - or single parents whose children are under 18 - can now form a support bubble with one other household of any size. 

I can't tell you how excited I am to hear that because it means I will finally be able to give one of my family members a cuddle! it's been 91 days since I last hugged someone now and I can't tell you how difficult it has been not having that contact with my loved ones. Honestly, if only one good thing comes out of this horrendous pandemic, it will be the world will definitely see a lot more cuddles! 

So the big decision I was faced with was who to bubble up with....that was until I got a text message from my sister asking if I was free to Facetime today. The lovely thing about messages like this at the moment is there is absolutely no excuse not to get involved! Infact, the more facetime chats I have, the better, especially now I'm not working, which has actually been quite nice, I might add! I've rekindled my love for "Suits" and am watching series 6 and 7 again, along with the last two series which I didn't get round to doing when they came out. I have to admit, it's not the same without Mike and Rachel, but am still loving Harvey, and Louis is absolutely hilarious...

Anyway, I'm digressing! 

So I had a Facetime chat with my sister and niece this afternoon and during our conversation, she asked me if I wanted to be part of their bubble from Monday! Obviously I screamed a little with excitement, had a little cry and then said yes straight away! It turns out my sister had spoken with my mum and brother and they were all happy for me to do this so as of Monday, I am going to be spending my time at my sister's house! It also means I can help out with looking after my niece, as my sister and her fiance are still working, so it will take some pressure off them and it also means I will get lots of cuddles too! I am so excited. 

This is the best news so far and I am SO happy! 

Coronavirus entry 15: I've been furloughed

This weekend, I have had some much needed time off work. I was supposed to be spending the weekend in Centre Parcs with my family, celebrating my mum's birthday, but it was cancelled due to the obvious. 

I decided to still take the time off because work has been SO busy and I was very much in need of a rest, and I even took an extra day off last minute too, however the irony of it all is I got a call from one of my directors this morning to tell me as of now I have been furloughed! 

I'm not really sure how I feel about it at the moment, although it is a bit weird that it's happened now, just as we are starting to move forward and get back to a place of "normality" but everything happens for a reason so I will just have to see what happens over the next few weeks and go from there. 

Coronavirus entry 14: Back to school

Today we have seen the biggest move since the Coronavirus attacked this country with the reopening of schools across the country, for reception, year 1 and year 6. 

Despite a lot of concern from teachers worried they will not have the appropriate measures to teach safely, and from parents, who think it's too soon and should wait now until September, Boris Johnson has said this will be happening and as of today, lots of children are heading back to their classrooms. 

How many children go back still remains to be be seen. I know a lot of parents who have made the decision to keep their children off school and carry on homeschooling, which, thankfully won't result in any penalties, but there seems to be a lot who are keen to get their children back and amongst their friends again. 

The 2 meter rule still stands and there are strict rules around how many children can be in each class, so there has been a lot of pressure on teachers to get this right, whilst still providing the appropriate lessons. 

Matt Hancock lead the daily Government update this afternoon on where we stand with the Coronavirus. 

4.48 million tests have now been carried out across the country since the start of this crisis.

1570 cases confirmed as of yesterday which is the lowest number since 25th March, however 276,000 cases have been confirmed in total.

Sadly, 39,045 people have now died, with 111 deaths confirmed yesterday. However, this is the the lowest figure since lockdown began on 23rd March. 

Despite these numbers, we are seeing improvements, which is a relief, however, there are still so many people feeling apprehensive that the Government are being too hasty with the decisions they are making. Non essential shops are due to open in 2 weeks, yet, we still can't spend time with our families or give them a cuddle so it's incredibly conflicting and upsetting. 

I guess we have to put our faith in the decisions that are being made and just hope this doesn't backfire and cause a second wave of lockdown.