Day Three, and the walls are closing in

As the dawn broke this morning, I lay in bed, fully awake, and felt trapped – a prisoner in my own home. Though I often do spend a day indoors, it's hitherto been out of choice or illness, not because I've been instructed... and not with the prospect of it continuing for weeks and weeks.

The government's advice is unequivocal:

We are advising those who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures. This group includes those who are:
aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)... ...

Avoid gatherings with friends and family. Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media...  

You can go for a walk outdoors if you stay more than 2 metres from others.

At a stroke my social life has been decimated. My church has closed its doors on Sundays, a group of friends who gathered in my home every week can no longer do so, and my beloved ukulele group, which includes some of my most treasured friends, has suspended its weekly meetings.  No worship, no fellowship, and no music!  I'm not even supposed to visit friends in their homes.

I've just cancelled a short holiday in North Devon, which was to have included joining a working party on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. Unsurprisingly, the working weekend has been called off.

I suppose I can count myself fortunate that I'm married to someone who is a youthful 68 years old, but that actually makes me feel worse.  Never has the 2¾ year difference in our ages seemed so great!
Damn it all, I am fit. I ramble for miles, I climb mountains, my coronary health (according to my FitBit) is excellent, as is my blood pressure, and my weight's pretty good too.

When I read this in yesterday's Independent, I shouted "YES!":

Professor Karol Sikora, a physician specialising in oncology who is in his 70s, said communication from the government on the issue had been “appalling” and accused ministers of “playing it by ear”. 

“It’s not the age that’s the cut-off, it’s the medical vulnerability of someone. People with lung problems, cardiac failure, diabetes, obesity, smokers, these are the people who are most vulnerable. Vulnerable people should avoid crowds, but there should be no age cut-off,” he said. “The government strategy and their advice had been great until now, but ... this has not been thought through. They want to be seen to be doing something, but it’s not evidence based.”

BUT
There is another side to this, is there not? COVID-19 is a killer, and yesterday the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, told MPs the hope was to keep the death toll under 20,000.  That sounds an horrendously high figure, though, to put it into perspective, every year seasonal flue claims about 8,000 lives.

A rogueish voice in my head says, "Why not throw caution to the wind, get the virus, recover (as you surely will) then rejoice in your newly-acquired immunity?"  But even if I live to tell the story, there's a quantifiable chance that, in the process, I may end up further burdening an overburdened NHS.  That would not be responsible behaviour.

SO
I am resolved to make the best of my forced isolation, and have drawn up a list of fulfilling activities, including frequent local walks, my model railway, decorating a couple of rooms, working in the garden, trying new cooking recipes, continuing to learn French and reading some of those books that have been languishing on my Kindle for ages.  Oh, and blogging (of course!).

Importantly, I want to make each day as different as I can from the day before, to ward off monotony. Consequently, I went for a lovely walk yesterday with my friend Bridget, so today has been a Blogging and Model Railway day.

Looking further ahead, our next big holiday, in celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary, is planned for southwest Ireland in mid-August. Will we be able to go? We live in hope.