How we recover from virus will define us a nation

This makes any external contact doubly welcome, either from neighbours, family bringing supplies, social media, colleagues and not least the rattle of the letter box heralding the latest issue of The Star.

TV is another diversion from the monotony of self isolation precipitating some personal amusement of highly charged commentators trying to get a scoop by trapping hapless politicians trying to keep to co-ordinated scripts.

Even the clips of Parliamentary Proceedings are muted by social distancing and voting queues of MPs are more a kin to football fans of yesteryear queuing for Cup Tickets.

The bear pit exchanges of the past which I found a bit tedious I miss greatly now – shows how weeks of isolation condition your thinking.

Online business meetings take on a whole new existence now, with frantic need to smarten up and find clean shirt.

Larger number of participants remind me of old Celebrity Squares programme and keep me amused if the proceedings are tedious...,,though of course trying hard to look focused.

New words have come into my vocabulary now , furlough, Zoom and tragically before easing even virtual funerals as well.

Scanning social media recently, it has been heartening to see innovation from organisations and individuals to maintain quality of life and continuity of service during the pandemic – necessity has always stimulated creativity.

To get pictures of my grandson in his football kit and dog Molly is a great morale boost .

I have now entered a new phase, where I look forward to easing of lockdown with recent optimistic announcements regarding loosening of it, rather than previously seeing no end to my self-isolation – my mood is far more up beat.

Although not yet reflected in my standards of housekeeping. However I hope to have decent notice of easing so I ca n get up to scratch before I embarrass myself before my family and visitors.

However, post- lockdown society will have to address the huge number of people losing their jobs and schoolchildren missing large chunks of their education.

This will require a significant response from the G overnment to address health, so cioeconomic and, not least, educ ational inequalities , many that, to be honest, were not addressed previously and will be severely aggravated now by the pandemic.

However, let’s be optimistic.

W e did recover from the ravages of the Second World War, even if it took us to 2006 to a pparently repay our War d ebt.

However, we will need to do it, recognising how the p andemic has changed us for ever.

Families without work and their children blighted by lack of opportunities and continuity of education will demand a response.

The government has to balance balancing it s books with meeting the aspirations of a population desiring a fairer and healthier society, where inequalities are finally addressed.

Your lifespan and quality of it can no longer be prescribed by your postcode.

The pandemic has been a shock to our stability, as World War Two was.

How we recover from it will define us as a nation.