Post-Lockdown Apocalypse?

In the last week, Wuhan has lifted its almost 80-day lockdown. This act was a beam of hope for the people across the world, until the Chinese government released updated coronavirus figures. As you might have previously heard, the Wuhan death toll was increased by over 50% (it rose by 1,290 deaths to 3,869 deaths). When this data came out, the world was shocked - how could have the Chinese government simply 'overlooked' over 1,000 deaths? Was this a result of the loosened lockdown?

Now, in Wuhan, it is like the lockdown was never removed. The streets are still empty, people petrified into staying indoors for fear of the potentially deadly effects of this virus. Instead of going out to shop, eat, exercise, people are choosing to get groceries delivered, to have takeaway instead of eating in restaurants. When the epidemic was at its worst there, only one person in the family would leave the house for 2 hours only for shopping purposes. Now, despite the lifting of the lockdown, people are still terrified and rarely leave the house. People avoid public spaces and in offices, employees eat their lunch in shifts and are spaced out from each other.

With the prospect of the lifting of the lockdown here in the UK looming in the near future, I wonder what the streets will look like in 4 weeks from now: will they still be deserted and desolate, abandoned in fear; will they be full of people, excited to get back to their previous vigour and lives? In Germany, the gradual lifting of their lockdown has led to the largest increase in cases and deaths in a week. Angela Merkel rightly stated in a speech to the lower half of their parliament “We are not at the end of the pandemic but at the beginning... Let’s not gamble away what we’ve achieved and risk a setback."

If the public begins beginning their normal lives again after the lockdown ends, it could spell bad news. We are only at the start of this crisis. Already, people are ignoring the social distancing rules, for example on Westminster Bridge yesterday for the weekly clap of appreciation for the NHS and healthcare workers across the world. If the lockdown is lifted, would this just get worse? I know that the idea of being able to resume our lives sounds amazing and incredible, but we must also remember that whilst we might have the chance to do this, the virus is still out there and is as strong as ever.

As you might have heard in the daily briefing yesterday, the government are planning on opening schools in early June. This poses an issue, though, as schools are potentially the best breeding ground for the virus, as children and young people only experience mild or asymptomatic cases but can still transmit it, and this makes them the single best vector of transmission for it. The amount of cases each day is beginning to decrease, but if everyone, even young people (including me), are not careful, then we could risk a second, more deadly and damaging peak .

In conclusion, the best thing that we can do now is be careful and follow the guidelines given to us by the government, ie. maintain social distancing, self isolate for a week if you are exhibiting symptoms and all of the other instructions. The most important thing is, though, that we make sure that everyone is safe and healthy. In this time of quarantine and lockdown, mental health is something that we should take particular care of - we need to keep this in mind in this unprecedented time.

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See you next week!