Coronavirus Diaries – Part 9
December 1st to January 31st
Welcome to our Coronavirus Diaries – Part 9. When things seemed to improve over the Summer of 2020 I had no idea that we’d be thrown back into a pretty awful situation again just a few months later.
December 2020
December started with excitement for the build up to Christmas. Presents being bought, plans being made, and we put our decorations up weeks earlier than normal (along with a lot of other people!)
On the 9th December, Margaret Keenan became the first person in the World to be vaccinated against Covid-19. It felt really hopeful that we might soon be out of this pandemic.
Things felt under control and the R number remained under 1. We had hopes of plans for Christmas going ahead and enjoyed a day out at the Hampton Court Christmas Fair and the RHS Wisley Glow.
On the 12th December there was the first sign that things might be taking a turn for the worse. Some scientific experts started to raise concerns about slight rises in infection in certain areas. Some started to suggest plans to allow families to meet at Christmas was a bad idea.
By the 14th December it was confirmed by the Government that a new strain of the Virus had been discovered. It originated in Kent, and was potentially more deadly and definitely more infectious than the previous strain. There are more discussions about whether or not it’s sensible for families to meet up at Christmas. It seems to be back and forth between the 4 nations of the UK, and the scientists and NHS. Its not being made clear to the public what is actually the best option but I was starting to worry.
Christmas 2020
And sure enough, by the 18th December it was announced that our area of the UK, the South East, was going into Tier 4. Which meant retail was to close, along with hairdressers and gyms. Most of our Christmas events were cancelled and Christmas Bubbles were scrapped. Our trip away to Suffolk for New Year was cancelled.
It was, without a doubt, the lowest point of the pandemic so far for me and I expect so many other people. Christmas means so much for so many that to not be able to celebrate it with the ones you love was heartbreaking.
The worst thing was that plans had to be changed. Presents were in the wrong places. We had no food in for Christmas lunch and it all felt a bit chaotic! If we’d been able to plan for this from the beginning we would have dealt with it much better, but with just a weeks notice it was all over the place.
However, we had no choice to plough on and stay positive for the children. Rates were going up at a crazy pace and it quickly felt like the right thing to do was stay home and stay safe. It was just a REAL shame that it was over Christmas. My goal was to make it special for the girls and focus on the small things. Christmas Eve boxes, an online message from Father Christmas and we took part in the Christmas Jingle at 6pm on Christmas Eve.
The girls loved it. We loved it. And whilst it was different, it was ok. Christmas Day was actually just as busy as usual…just with Zoom calls instead of real life get togethers! Dave made a gorgeous Christmas Dinner and the girls were thrilled to spend the day opening and playing with presents.
We spent days going for walks and relaxing as a family. It was very much like lockdown 1 back in Spring 2020, but much colder (and muddier).
On New Years Eve 2020, 55,892 cases were reported – the highest daily rate so far in the Pandemic. I started to wonder if Schools could feasibly reopen in January with cases seemingly rising out of control.
January 2021
The days following saw a further rise in cases and we made the decision to keep our eldest off school (again). I wasn’t sure if it was the right choice but it really felt like the schools would all be shut soon anyway. The Government has often waited until the last possible minute to make decisions during the pandemic and it feels like a bit of a mind reading exercise as to what they’ll do next. As I had thought might happen, the children were sent back to school for one day (ONE DAY) before Boris announced that evening that England would be going back into lockdown.
So just like that we were back to homeschooling! It felt slightly less daunting than last time as we had a bit of practice now. But our daughter is in Year 1 now rather than reception so the expectations are slightly higher. Also our youngest, is now 3.5yrs old rather than 2.5yrs old and wants to join in the more academic stuff. Which sometimes is great, but sometimes not so great!
We soon got into a rhythm and the work from the school was more thorough this time too. We had lots of prerecorded lessons to take part in each week and a nice balance between the subjects. The hardest thing was keeping both children occupied when both children need loads of attention. When there is only one of you, that can be hard. It was exhausting!
At the end of a long January, we were rewarded with one of our best days of the Pandemic yet. A snow day! It really came down and coated the village in a deep layer of snow. After weeks and weeks of the same old walks, the same old things to play with and some pretty miserable weather, it felt like SUCH a treat to have some snow to play in.
Thank you for reading our Coronavirus Diaries – Part 9. If you’d like to read other parts of our Diary, click here.
