19th March 2019 – days before the complete National Lockdown
I served my last customer at the beauty salon where I worked which was based inside the David Lloyd Club (Gym & Leisure). I had been watching newsreels of people panic buying from the Supermarkets to stock up and queuing up at the Petrol Stations but I was too busy thinking only about serving all my customers to care and hoping that things were not as bad as shown by the Media. My Boss rang me at 2.30pm telling me about the plans for a National Lockdown by the Government and that she had cancelled all future appointments and closed the salon until further notice. It wasn’t clear at that point whether or not I would get paid for the next few weeks. So, on my way home I quickly rushed to the nearest supermarket to find most of the shelves empty of bread, milk, sugar, tea, coffee, toilet tissues, washing up & laundry liquid, hand and toilet sanitisers, bleach, baby products, tinned beans and tomatoes, pasta and general essential food and household items. I hadn’t even stocked up on our Indian food items so I was hopeful that I would pick up something there but due to a general shortage of available products, they had hiked up the price of wheat, rice, lentils, spices, toilet rolls, oil, butter. The cost of 24 rolls of double ply toilet rolls had gone up from £6 to £12. Supermarkets started to place a limit on the number of same items you can purchase to stop people stocking up.
The Government announced the provision of furlough scheme for the employed and also financial relief (grants) for the self-employed. Those on a low income or losing their job suddenly were supported by the Universal Tax Credit Scheme and Job Seekers Allowance. Arriving home to an empty larder and fridge forced us all to get creative with the cooking. Most of the supermarkets encouraged online shopping (but some had an inflated price rate – which the government immediately clamped down on and fined the businesses).
Complete lockdown – (Preserve, Entertainment for healthy mind, Improve Health and Fitness, Re-evaluate Life)
we were not allowed to drive out of the house unless you were an essential worker (carer, NHS staff, Police etc). Everyone had to isolate. No-one was allowed to have groups of people in the house or outside. There were limits on where and how many people can meet – usually 1-2 visitors in the front/back garden or an open space standing 2 meters apart from each other, wearing a face mask. There was a national shortage of PPE – The stock of gloves (£5 per box of 100), hand sanitisers (£1), anti-bacterial products and facemasks (£10 for box of 50 paper disposable) quickly went out of stock. Since there was no traffic, no air traffic, this was the perfect atmosphere for some outdoor meditation, walking, running and getting fit.
Preserve – Your home, garden and the environment, help support each other
The lockdown time gave us some breathing space and time to declutter the home and clean our gardens. Since the Charity Shops were also closed, the Recycling Centres developed huge queues and had restricted opening hours – I waited over 1 hour once. My washing machine had packed up during this time and so I went back to basics to hand wash all the family’s laundry for 6 months until I could afford to get a replacement. This helped to tone my arms and muscles in the process and keep me active.
Breathing space – the weather was hot hot hot and the evenings were cool. Everyone suddenly built their extensions, tidied their gardens and planted some new seeds. I also grew potatoes and flowers. Our neighbours met in groups from their front gardens every few days. We sat in the Garden during the day drenching ourselves with doses of Vitamin D from the sun whilst staying cool in the evenings watching the stars and listening to old Bollywood Songs since we were initially not allowed to meet people in our homes or gardens. So I’d invested in some second hand garden furniture, loungers and a 2 seater swing and enjoyed some sunbathing and occasionally followed online yoga and Zumba fitness class. This opened up a whole new world of online entertainment I never had the chance to explore previously. We were allowed to go our for walks and do general outdoor fitness but had to maintain 2 meter distance from other people. So I used to go for 1 hour walks in the morning and evening to our local Watermead Park and enjoyed taking photographs of the scenery and the birds whilst I listened to bhajans and mantras. Social media boomed. There were free online educational and fitness classes, free Bollywood music programmes by well known artists, School online tutorials and lessons, tips and hints on how to survive through the Pandemic
Covid – 19 symptoms, prevention, treatment
The world went crazy to try to prevent catching the virus whilst isolating at home, from not touching their post to washing each and every shop purchase (some wiping over with a sanitiser tissue), burning Kapur dhoop daily to purify the air and trying all of Granny’s old Ayurvedic medicines because antibiotics were in short supply and generally not available. Never had I seen my neighbours doing so much work cleaning their windows, garden paths in 30 years. Face masks and gloves were worn in public places and regular use of hand sanitisers was encouraged.
On Christmas week, we all contracted Covid-19 and suffered its side effects for the following 3 weeks. Some of the symptoms were shortness of breath, constant irritating cough, nausea, extreme lethargy, general aches and pains, loss of appetite and sense of smell and the feeling that the world was going to end and that we would not wake up the next morning. There was 2 weeks’ incubation period followed by 2-3 weeks after care to follow. In all cases it began with a high fever and the body feeling very hot and stomach feeling queasy. We had to rely to family members for door step drops. Local restaurants were also offering Thali meals for £2.50 delivered to the door to help those in need. We had to call an Ambulance at one point due to the acute anxiety we were feeling since it was nothing we had ever experienced before. They did an ECG to monitor our uneven heart rate and calm us down by reassuring us that we were not going to die. As usual, us Indians love being wrapped up warm and we were told off for doing so. When all the checks were fine, we were told to ‘calm down and don’t panic’. Take lots of fresh air, ventilate the rooms, keep hydrated, keep the body cool even when there’s a temperature. After 3 days of bed rest and feeling sorry for myself, I forced myself to get out of my room and potter around the house. I kept the blinds and curtains open to see my neighbours so I did not feel alone. The word ‘Covid’ soon became a ‘jinx’ and everyone kept their distance. The fear of catching it and dying from it was real.
There were weekly claps for the bravery of the NHS staff in appreciation as they were the main working force serving the Nation. I recall needing a letter from my daughter’s workplace to prove that she was an essential worker in order to be able to drive her to work for a short period of time. Supermarkets offered earlier shopping time slots for essential workers (carers, NHS staff, etc). There was an NHS App that tracked our symptoms and the spread of the virus in our vicinity, by scanning the venues we visited. This was a very good tool. It later provided useful information about how to stay safe, how to report the result of the Covid Tests. Oh, this was the most daunting experience we had ever had – sticking a swab up the nostril and then in the throat or was it the other way around. Yuk! There was quite a confusing process to follow at first but soon got the hang of it by the 100th time. Eventually this became redundant in 2022.
Dear Boris Johnson was the President and “boy, oh boy,” did he have the hardest time leading the country giving out all those confusing guidelines on Covid safety and Social distancing rules and but our hero Rishi Sunak saved the day as he announced the Covid Relief programme (financial benefit) to the whole country. Then the NHS Covid App was introduced – full of information, a way to record your Covid test results, Bar code scanning of your visits to help monitor the regions Covid is spreading in, and so much more. This saved the day. The NHS Covid helpline was also very very useful. The staff were very friendly and helpful and directed you to an NHS medical centre (not your usual GP surgery) if needed.
There were some people who did not believe in the Covid-19 virus as being life threatening and tried to defy the safety advice and had to retreat when they found themselves in hospital suffering with the Covid-19 virus.
Covid Vaccine
6 months on and finally, vaccines were available by the name of Pfizer, Maderna rolled out to the most vulnerable first (elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions), then for the over 50s, then for the over 40s, then 30s, then over 18s and eventually to the youth. The vaccines were 2 x Covid-19 + 1 booster jab. The side-effects of the initial vaccine when cold and swelling in the arm initially, then came the heaviness in the arm. 2 week’s rest following receipt of the first vaccine and 1 week’s rest was advised following the booster vaccine was recommended to allow time for any side-effects (flu-like symptoms). Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Aspirin were the only recommended pain killers + Vitamin C&D + Zinc. Seeing an Ambulance frequently in our streets was saddening, specially when we saw our friends and old neighbours being taken away in stretchers. There were long queues of people at the Vaccine Centres and at Covid Test Centres run by Volunteers. There was a national call for ex-NHS and retired medical professionals to return to duty during the Pandemic.
The Online communication Boom
As the Samaj President, I visited several virtual funeral ceremonies because only 15 family members were allowed at the crematorium – all others could watch the funeral ceremony via a webcast). Everyone, the elderly and those not IT literate, forced themselves to get with the flow in order to keep in touch and up to speed. There was a huge demand for digital devices. This was a very new experience to which people adapted very quickly since they did not need to leave their home to access it.
Due to the availability of Zoom App / Google Meets / Microsoft Teams Apps, we quickly got used to holding work and social meetings in our casual pyjamas bottoms and our formal smart tops. This led to a huge demand for super fast broadband and wifi service. Working from home was the new way forward to keep the companies running but not all businesses were allowed to operate from home and people started to organise a home office in any available space. The garage became a gym or the gym became the office. One person worked upstairs, another in the kitchen and one in the lounge. We held Samaj Christmas Party over Zoom and this was attended by 30 members. For the first time ever, we played an interactive game on Zoom.
People flocked to volunteer their services to help those in need as an individual and in groups running soup kitchens. We were fortunate to help our Samaj supply dry food parcels to those vulnerable Bardai families affected by Covid-19 in Porbandar, Gujrat, India. I had never prayed to God so hard as I did during this time – prayed for strength and wisdom and the ability to help others in need. During the Pandemic – everyone felt like they were in the same boat because the virus did not discriminate and therefore everyone came together and supported one another. Our only aim was to make it through safe and sound.
Hope for the future
This whole experience gave us time to reflect on the past and re-evaluate our life goals. For me, it was to spend more time with my children and slow down to enjoy life’s little things that we sometimes do not take time to appreciate because we are so busy working or chasing a dream.The Samaj encouraged the members to send in their Lockdown stories and pics which are available to view and record for the future.
In 2022 – the Government announced the abolition of all rules for managing Covid 19 since it is no longer of major concern having completed a huge national vaccine programme and following reports of low death rates from Covid 19. However, we have been alerted about needing to take care of ourselves from the other Covid variants that stemmed from this virus and hope that this will eventually weaken and fade out.
To date, we have survived through all the subsequent variants with no more than standard doses of Flu medicines, healthy eating, a regular boost of Vitamins, exercise, caution and with a positive spirit.
We are grateful to God for protecting us and appreciate the support of the NHS and the Government in keeping us safe and healthy.
We have all gone back to work and assumed our normal routines. Jai Ho!