Well, this is certainly Mother’s Day with a difference. The pandemic leaves me unable to see my Mum…and my daughter unable to see hers.
So a Happy Mother’s Day to us all, a virtual kiss and cwtch, plus a very large glass raised on Skype.
All that is mad enough but actually, is it me, or has Barry gone a bit bonkers lately.
Nothing like a media scaremonger to send our residents rapidly scurrying to stock up on large amounts of loo roll, serious amounts of soap, and shed loads of sanitiser…leaving our several supermarket shelves bare.
In fact, I spent all my usual Saturday shop staring at empty racks and looking for Andrex as our town’s traders sold out of all the sanitary stuff.
That’s two hours of my lush, little, life I’ll never get back.
I reckon the sweat is on because the mass media have started branding the latest dastardly disease as Covid-19. This, of course, sounds much more James Bond villain than Corona – which for me just conjures up a rather weak low rent lager.
And, like I’ve said many a time, I didn’t survive the riotous 90’s Rave Scene to be taken out by a virus named after a light beer.
But I might be at severe risk of it now thanks to the unbelievable ignoring of the social distancing stuff by a sizeable chunk of the community.
Did you see them all down Barry Island and up Pen Y Fan? Schools Out to save lives not for a prolonged Summer Holiday for God’s sake.
Add to that the stripped shelves, business resistance to close down until ordered too, and the immense strain on our NHS, and my failure to get a pack of loo roll pales into insignificance.
Mind you, if you saw how my 16 year Little Prince goes through it then you would see why I am concerned. What do teenagers do with it – eat it?
Truth be told, I’m not that bothered about scented soap and cartons of Carex, we’ve plenty of that in our house – call me old fashioned but I thought this was standard.
I’m not going to lie to you, I’m more outraged that we have to tell people to wash their hands, and wipe their surfaces, than I am by any Facebook hyped up hysteria. Weren’t you doing that anyway – stands back in amazement if you weren’t.
Not sure, all the pathetic panic buyers also realise that to stop the germs spreading, you need others to wash their hands too. So it’s a no-brainer to share and share alike (goods not germs!) so we can all stay as safe as possible.
And what about the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and those on a budget, who haven’t got the mobility,or the money, to stock up.
See them having to self-isolate and then finding the supermarket cupboard bare – thanks for that you selfish sods. Take a seat and have a really harsh word with yourselves please.
What’s all this palaver with pasta too? What the Hell is that all about?
I might have missed it but I didn’t realise tried and tested Covid-19 advice was to self-isolate with loads of loo roll, stacks of soap, and a staple diet of Mac ‘n’ Cheese.
Lucky for me, and here’s a turn up for the books, I’ve gone gluten free, so there was plenty of pasta on the Free From Shelves. Just a shame they don’t do GF scented soap and wheat free bog roll.
Those wearing all those masks all wrong make me laugh out loud too…literally.
Apparently they last for about fifteen minutes, and just make the wearers, apart from looking ridiculous, keep touching their face as they fiddle about with them – which is the exact opposite of what we should do. Go figure.
They might be useful to stop all that kissing we are not supposed to being doing mind. Christ, I’ve been foot tapping, elbow bumping, and air snogging for ages. I’ll be glad to get back to a good old sloppy kiss and a cwtch soon let me tell you.
Seriously though, in my view, Covid-19, is a real and possible threat, that could cause serious issues, especially for those, over 50, (yikes, that’s me!), those with underlying health conditions, or anyone who has a susceptible immune system.
Ummmm, so much more serious than ‘just a flu bug’ then. And I speak as someone who suffered with Swine Flu in 2010 #truestory.
So, for me, it’s cool to be cautious, wise to wash your hands, and seriously standard to keep your mucky mitts away from your mouth. Always, not just now, as stopping the spread of germs is not just for our Corona Christmas but for life.
Let’s remember too that local and national Government advice, (for now) is that it is not business as usual but time for some serious social distancing.
Check out the excellent Public Health Wales website for all the latest information and advice – and please ignore all the armchair experts on social media.
To be crystal clear, the UK is well past the so called “containment” stage of its response to the Corona Virus.
So shall we just keep calm, careful, cautious, and do exactly as we are told. Bit of a first for me that to be honest but this is no time for playing hard and fast with the rules – trust me.
Please let’s also stop the pathetic panic buying, selfish stocking of non-essential supplies, recklessly having blatant regard for our near neighbours.
And that unbelievable ‘I’m alright Jack’ mentality that will only lead to hurt and heartbreak for our community – and the wider world.
Come on Barry we are better than that.
Speak soon.
Mrs SVJ
Sue Vincent-Jones, writing as Mrs SVJ, is a Barry born journalist, editor, and communications specialist. She blogs about Barry – and her life in the wider world, through the eyes of a, quirky and queer, local girl done good.
My Corona Virus Diary is her take on this pandemic palaver – the long lingering Lockdown, our queer quarantine, the isolation nation, and how our town took to these crazy Covid 19 times.
Mrs SVJ, Barry’s Boldest Blogger, can be contacted here.