My View: The new normal

Glossop Chronicle and Tameside Reporter journalist Lauren Entwistle has her own column in the paper, giving her opinion on all kinds of subjects. This week, she gives her feelings about the easing of more lockdown restrictions and advice for people heading out to pubs.

This week marks one of the biggest shifts to ‘normality’ since everything slowed down.

Hairdressers and pubs are set to reopen this weekend – and I imagine that stylists up and down the country are well-booked in advance.

Strangely, I feel a bit uneasy about the sudden spring back to ‘normal.’ 

The boundaries of what marks our everyday lives have been changed astronomically, and we aren’t wholly sure whether we’ll be able to completely go back to how things were.

Shops still have their arrows and screens. 

Masks are now part of everyday street wear (although I have seen many sported in different colours and patterns – even our household boasts a tartan one).

Plus we still stand a good distance apart from one another in the Tesco queue.

Although, I’d hope that was happening anyway. No one likes the person behind them breathing down their neck at the self-checkout.

The sheer amount of uncertainty across so many levels, whether that be a question of money, safety or connection has proved to be a great test to many of us – but has also brought home how important the things that are usually taken for granted.

But as things begin to move forward, it is more important than ever to remember that we are not talking about this huge event in the past tense. As seen with Leicester, which has now had to take precautions to return to lockdown measures due to a second spike in cases.

I have written at length about my concerns as we loosen measures in this column over the past few months. 

And it would feel disingenuous for me to waffle on about anything else when deep down, I am still worried.

The argument has so many juxtapositions. 

If we continue to lockdown, then our businesses and economy suffers – but if we loosen restrictions all at once and begin mixing on a grand scale, what will the consequences be?

I don’t have the answers. 

All I can say is that if you do go for a drink this weekend seriously support those businesses we’ve dearly missed, but strictly adhere to the guidelines and just don’t overdo it.

I’m not sure we could all last another however many months in strict solitude all over again.