Standing in the queue to be vaccinated it struck me that maybe the reason that the UK is doing so well is that we do like a queue! Throw in the wide array of HiVis attire (I mean how did we cope before we had these? I don’t recall ever seeing a parking attendant being run over but who am I to get in the way of all these very important people wearing HiVis and strutting around) and you have a very impressive set up, albeit very quiet.
I know we Brits are a reserved bunch, but given a) the enormity of the whole vaccine success story and b) the lack of social interaction this last year you would have thought the industrial unit would have been awash with the buzz of anticipation and relief.
Nothing, or as they say in say in Spain, nada.
It would have have been different in Spain for sure. They have this amazing ability to queue without queuing! They gather in groups, smoke, talk, drink coffee and eat all at the same time, yet when a space becomes available at the ‘counter’ the next in line strolls over and nobody questions it is their turn to be served. Amazing really and about as different to our approach as you could get.
On the subject of Spain I passed a neighbour the other day who asked if I was excited about the easing of the Lockdown planned for the 29th of March in relation to social contact:
The evidence shows that it is safer for people to meet outdoors rather than indoors. And this is why from 29 March, when most schools start to break up for the Easter holidays, outdoor gatherings (including in private gardens) of either 6 people (the Rule of 6) or 2 households will also be allowed, making it easier for friends and families to meet outside.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary
No is the answer to be honest: it will still be too cold and even with the fire pit lit we would still have to huddle together to stay warm which a) seems counter intuitive given the need to maintain social distancing and b) after 12 months with no contact I think a more gradual reentry into the world of bodily contact will be required.
Am not convinced that the most exciting way of exiting Lockdown would be sitting once again in our garden either. I would like a great big, Spanish style, street party. A HUGE paella, fresh bread, cold beers bobbing in ice in wheelie bins, a BBQ churning out prawns, chorizo and ribs.
Hell, I would even be happy with a trestle and a cucumber sandwich, the point being it needs to be different, inclusive, and joyous. It needs to be in an open space to prove that we can!
On the subject of the vaccine I did have a brief conversation with someone in the queue as they were looking a tad apprehensive ….
Them: ” are you worried about having the vaccine?”
Me: “no”
Them: “but I have heard of people feeling really ill for a few days after they had it.”
Me: “are they still alive?”
Them: “yes”
Me: “well then, what’s the problem?”
Them: “but what if I get ill?”
Me: “if you get ill from the vaccine, just think what might happen to you if you caught the virus”
My father has had both his Pfizer vaccines and my mother, Sandra, her mother and myself have all had the first ‘Oxford’ vaccination without any side effects at all. I do know a few people who have felt ill for a few days but they have all had what you could call “compromised” immune systems: some had shielded throughout, others had underlying health conditions, others were just exhausted from working on the front line. A day or two in bed, paracetamol and lots of water sorted them out.