As an over 60-year-old with asthma and high blood pressure I fall in to group 3 of the vulnerable category - somewhere in the midst of the most vulnerable and the low vulnerable. So I'm looking at significantly reducing my social contact, that is, I'm just going out to get shopping, and doing that as infrequently as possible. With panic buying at its worst, that's not such an easy thing to do. I had no idea that my month of eating on £1 a day would provide such useful life skills. I know that I can do without constant shopping and that the food in the cupboard will last a surprisingly long period of time.
I'm delighted that communities across the UK (and indeed the world) are responding positively to the crisis and supporting their most vulnerable members with offers of shopping, collection of medicines and delivery of essentials. And yet the 'me first' mentality continues. Why does anyone feel they need to buy 4x24 packs of loo roll? 80 bags of flour? 20 legs of lamb? It beggars belief.
And beyond this, what of the psychological impact of this crisis? As a happy introvert I have not been much stressed by the cancellation of everything I do - quilt groups, knitting groups, Women's institute, City and Guilds course, volunteering at the out-of-school club; but what of those people who get cabin fever when they have a cold that keeps them home for two days? Who feel isolated when they don't see people for a week? Especially those without IT skills or social media connects? How can we help them?
I have no answers. Personally I am planning a list of craft projects to keep me going through maybe 12 weeks of semi-isolation. Here is what I have up to in the last few days.
