Lockdown Anniversary

Kaitlin Dryburgh

How has it been four years since the first lockdown was announced? When speaking to people about that period it feels like no time has passed yet, it occurred in a different lifetime. The other day I forgot the word ‘furlough’, even though at the time it was my lifeline. Like so many others we remember where we were and what we were doing when lockdown was announced. For some lockdown was the absolute worst and really pushed them to the limit, be that with their mental health, being away from loved ones, having to home-school or just the loss of a normal routine. For others it was a time to spend more time with family, slow down, catch up on some TV series and bake banana bread. It was a bizarre time where you had to queue up at the supermarket just to sprint to get the last toilet rolls.

It brought people together and to an extent it was an equaliser, but as we all know that isn’t exactly true. Yes we were all technically going through the same experience, yet health differences and wealth differences resulted in differing experiences. Do you remember when a gaggle of celebrities sang John Lennon’s Imagine, as a statement of solidarity. As they sang to us from their mega-mansions you could indeed hear Mr Lennon turning in his grave, and the rest of us rolling our eyes.

We clapped on the streets for the NHS, yet there was fear there. Fear of the unknown can do strange things to individuals and groups. At the start of the pandemic we really didn’t know the effects that this beast called Covid would have, we didn’t know how we were to treat it and its symptoms. We became scared of things that we didn’t need to, there was a divide growing between young and old. The older generation had to take their vulnerability into account while the younger generation were struggling with being cut off from education, peers and socialising.

This anniversary gives us time to reflect on what took place, how far we’ve all come since then, but for many this may include thinking about the loved ones they lost to the virus. Scotland’s excess death rate was unduly high, shining a light on the country’s poor state of health even before the pandemic began, this resulted in over 16,000 Scottish Covid deaths.

The immediate memories of the lockdown may be but a dream, but the lingering effects and damages are still felt by many bereaved. Late last year and this year was perhaps quite significant in the continuing story of Covid, as the inquiry heard from central Government key players. Already causing a stir when the likes of Sturgeon was unable to account for missing WhatsApp messages due to policy which required her and other members of government to delete them. Policy that she was able to influence. Through-out the UK we’ve seen those in charge at the time deliver evidence and really give a sense of how no one really knew what they were doing. We all had an inclination that this was the case but I’m not sure we knew how bad it truly was. Yet trying to get a clear depiction of roles, and responsibilities for certain decisions has been hard to come by.

In the initial stages of the pandemic there remained a lack of knowledge and guidance. We were unclear on some of the most basic details of the virus, governments all over were scrambling to provide us with something. However, whenever a healthy mix of fear and cluelessness presents itself you can be sure that someone or something will fill that demand. The spread of misinformation online was like something we have never seen before. It was as if there were two pandemics happen in conjunction with one another, the virus and conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories weren’t novelle, in a time of fear misinformation does increase, but this seemed to take hold like no other. People in the community who had always come across logical and rational seemingly taken in by the idea that 4G causes Covid. Social media sites having to police information and displaying warnings against any misinformation. The most shocking element of this was that many of our leaders also received warnings for misinformation.

The disconnect between the scientific community and the general public grew to the largest yet and hasn’t since fully recovered, with opinions on vaccination safety still down. The World’s appetite for unverified information grew very strong and became a topic thrusted into public debate. Who’s responsible for policing this, the Government, social media platforms? Meta have just announced they’re rolling back on their misinformation monitoring tool, in a year of multiple elections this could have serious implications. The UK Online Safety Bill doesn’t cover misinformation, so should we be approaching this subject in schools, since for the younger generations most of their news will be consumed in an online medium. Should recognising a reliable source be in the curriculum?

Political landscapes have also changed. It isn’t perhaps both the Scottish and UK government’s poor track records on excess deaths through-out the pandemic that has resulted in a public outcry of mistrust and distain for politics. But instead the tit-for-tat petty inner politics in Holyrood and Westminster. The perceived cover-up of WhatsApp messages and lack of accountability for care home decisions in Scotland. In Westminster the thought of politicians partying away with suitcases of wine in toe, while many were unable to hug a loved-one or comfort them in their last moments has been too much for some to recover from. Perhaps many don’t point fingers for the deaths but they do ask why they were partying while others were dying. Now hypocrisy is the real killer to the public’s trust. The thought that someone as daft as Dominic Cummings was indeed steering the country in the first few months of the pandemic has resulted in disillusionment with the government.

We could also do a deep dive on the last effects lockdowns had on young people. The adolescence of 2020 are still thought to be dealing with heightened levels of loneliness, still not fully recovered from that missed period of social bonding and a decline in mental health all round. Crucial milestones were missed through-out this time and it perhaps spurred on an over reliance on technology which only perpetuates these negative points.

Overall it isn’t an experience many of us would like to relive again, however there were positives and learnings taken from what we had to endure. To start with, if it were to happen again, we’ll be better prepared. It probably still won’t be perfect but that panic and fear that we were all initially immersed in probably won’t take effect as quickly. Smaller details of our day-to-day routines have shifted, working from home and flexible working hours are set to stay. Though this has been rolled back slightly, it’s fairly rare to have a desk based job which requires five day a week presence in an office.

For some lockdowns provided a refreshed perspective to work life balance, going back to previous fast schedule was no longer attractive. It may not have stuck for everyone but prioritising family, leisure and their own time was bumped up the list.

We found a new appreciation for our NHS. We may not still be clapping in the street, wearing badges or letting nurses and doctors head to the front of the queue but public opinion grew in favour for the NHS and its staff. If only this could translate into better management and funding.

However you reflect back on that time period, as it differs so much from person to person, I hope there were some positives for you. Maybe not in the immediate effects but perhaps moving forward in a changed perspective. I do believe that we are all united in our want for learning from this experience. That we expect our governments to have taken notes and improve, but to do that they will need to take accountability.