Society

Even in the darkness of the pandemic, there is the occasional shaft of light. In its sweeping impact on our civic infrastructure, the coronavirus has achieved something that no recent governments have managed. It has forced a radical change in our outdated, under-occupied fire service by vastly enhancing the duties of firefighters. No longer will brigades just narrowly focused on attending fires. Instead, they will become a proper emergency service, complete with medical responsibilities. Under an agreement reached last week between employers, fire chiefs and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), firefighters will embrace additional duties during this unprecedented emergency. These will include the delivery of essential items like food and

I just spoke to my father for the first time in 16 days. He wasn’t able to speak back but the nurse told me that he smiled when he heard my voice. This is the first sign of consciousness we’ve had from him since he was sedated over two weeks ago to help his body fight the coronavirus that has been running through his veins. During that time his lungs failed and a ventilator had to take over all of his breathing. A few days later his kidneys ceased to function properly and he was put on full dialysis. His muscles have atrophied and, even with the NHS angels who

Naughty, naughty. It seems the MP for Aberavon failed to follow the stringent lockdown rules over the weekend. Stephen Kinnock decided to pay a visit to his father to celebrate the former Labour leader’s 78th birthday. It seems Kinnock Jnr thought he was following the rules on social interaction when he decided to sit in an open-air spot, more than two metres from his parents. But his local police force in South Wales disagreed… Yes, the Welsh MP’s own constabulary criticised his decision, branding the trip ‘not essential’. Mr S has some sympathy with the Kinnocks however, as police forces across the country seem to disagree as to what the new lockdown measures actually include. Either way,

Solidarity usually suggests physical proximity: goodwill spreading with hugs and cosy chatter. But when you have a crisis with social distancing as an antidote, is that a barrier to comradeship? Far from it. On social media, videos of Italian flash-mobs singing to their neighbours have been shared, as well as petitions to test NHS staff and footage of the ‘Viva los Medicos’ (long live the doctors) mass shout-outs from Spanish windows. Online solidarity overcomes borders, all the more so during a global pandemic. But Europe, which has been described as the ‘epicentre’ of Covid-19, has its own particular flavour of solidarity. It was the growing outbreak in Italy that really brought

One recognises the need for firm rules about social distancing and other measures to control the coronavirus spread; but one should also recognise the need to keep things going. We rightly hail the NHS workers. We should also applaud the tremendously efficient businesses which continue to supply grocers’ shops and pharmacies. Given the difficulties and sudden demands, I am amazed by how well these markets are holding up. What on earth would Covid-19 have been like if it had arrived in pre-internet days? The authorities should themselves recognise difference of circumstances and adjust the rules accordingly as things change over the coming weeks.  Take the construction industry. It is obvious

Puppy shows cancelled. Point-to-points put on hold. Hound shows, team chases, skittles leagues, pony club camp – all have been axed from the countryside calendar. These are not announcements that tend to make headlines. What’s the cancellation of the Cattistock Countryside show when Glastonbury is grinding to a halt? Not that it’s a competition, but it’s a fact that rural areas get overlooked in times like these. In response, countryside folk are taking matters into their own hands. In my own village in Dorset – a village not big enough to qualify for a postbox – Sylvia, an ex-schoolteacher, has decided it’s essential we have a community pop-up shop for emergency rations. At 66,