Would a localised lockdown be that bad in the long-run? | Annie Lewis

As Leicester goes into lockdown, it has highlighted the risk of the virus has not magically gone away.
A police car on Gallowtree Gate in Leicester after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock imposed a local lockdown following a spike in coronavirus cases in the city. Picture date: Tuesday June 30, 2020. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA WireA police car on Gallowtree Gate in Leicester after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock imposed a local lockdown following a spike in coronavirus cases in the city. Picture date: Tuesday June 30, 2020. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire
A police car on Gallowtree Gate in Leicester after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock imposed a local lockdown following a spike in coronavirus cases in the city. Picture date: Tuesday June 30, 2020. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire

The news broke as health secretary Matt Hancock said the city had ‘10 per cent of all positive cases in the country over the past week’.

While the rest of England looks forward to wining and dining at the weekend, Leicester looks like it’s going back to square one as non-essential shops close, pubs and restaurants are not allowed to reopen and only essential travel is recommended.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And no one should be laughing at them because we might be right behind them. According to the Daily Express, Portsmouth is in the top 36 places where coronavirus is on the rise.

So would a localised lockdown be such a bad thing?

While it is obviously not anyone’s favourite thing to do – and just as we start to see the light at the end of a very long tunnel, it seems like a crashing boulder has blocked our escape – would this be the best solution to a long-term problem?

It’s no secret that since the UK has started to unlock, social distancing has become an almost vague memory in many people’s minds. Even The News’ Community Views pages are filled with letters of local people detailing their bad and shocking experiences in regards to a lack of social distancing during the pandemic.

Perhaps a localised lockdown would get us all back in line, teach us to remember social distancing and not let us forget where we were in April.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They say a second peak is inevitable so the chances of going into lockdown again – albeit next week, October or Christmas – are incredibly high. If we do go back into lockdown, it could help us crush Covid-19 once and for all.

Yes, we all miss our social life . And most of all, yes, we all miss seeing and hugging our families and friends.

But if a localised lockdown is the way forward, and could potentially prevent a repeat of the dire situation we all experienced in April, would we all be willing to go through it again?

I guess it’s not up to us...

It’s about time the awards crowned a black author

Author Candice Carty-Williams has rightfully won the British Book Award with her critically-acclaimed debut novel, Queenie.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Carty-Williams is the first black author to have claimed the prestigious award since it began in 1994 and she is joined by Bernadine Evaristo, whose Booker-winning novel, Girl, Woman, Other, won fiction book of the year.

I loved both of these books. They are beautifully written.

However Carty-Williams has said she feels ‘proud’ but ‘sad’ to become the first black author to win such an award.

Hopefully this will kickstart the British Book Awards to become more diverse.

Carty-Williams should not be the last...

Record low deaths since March brings some hope

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Finally some good(ish) news. The UK death rate seems to be getting back to normal.

As reported by the BBC, of the 10,681 deaths registered in the week up to June 19, only 849 mentioned coronavirus.

This is the lowest number of deaths involving the pandemic since the beginning of March.

It’s great to hear that we are finally making some progress, despite the bad news which is reeled off most days.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But now is not the time to be complacent and it is not guaranteed to last until the pandemic is over.

However, at least we know we may be doing something right and perhaps there is light at the end of this testing tunnel.