Dr Kristopher Lovell

14th September 2020 – Celebrating in Lockdown

I write this on the weekend before lockdown 2.0, due to come into affect week commencing week commencing September 14th 2020. I write following a weekend of celebrations for mine and a friends’ birthday, where – perhaps unwisely – we chose to celebrate together with our friends at a local bar. The venue we chose is an outdoor venue, which we’re lucky to have in the city, as it meant that – presumably through some creative interpretation of government policy – they could accomodate our party, just shy of 30 in attendance.

“Businesses and venues following COVID-19 Secure guidelines can host larger groups. This is also the case for events in public outdoor spaces that are organised by businesses, charitable or political organisations, and public bodies, provided they take reasonable steps to mitigate the risk of transmission, in line with COVID-19 Secure guidance and including completion of a risk assessment. Any other gathering in an outdoor space must not be any larger than 30 people.” – Guidance for providers of outdoor facilities on the phased return of sport and recreation in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation/guidance-for-providers-of-outdoor-facilities-on-the-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation, 2020)

A degree of care in choosing the venue was taken, as we wanted to make sure the venue was one we frequented regularly, the owners were trusted and whose care for their customers seemed legit in these unusual circumstances. A healthy dose of cynacism for government policy was also present, with the some of the key players such as the Prime Minister, his Ministers and Advisors all having been caught out at one point or the other bending or breaking their own government’s rules. With our Government simultaneously making it law punishable by a minimum fine of £100, to gather in groups greater than 6, whilst also threatening to ignore International Law in their handling of leaving the European Union, I would be lying if there wasn’t a certain satisfaction in getting in one last hurrah before the rules tigthen up again.

We’re fortunate here in Cambridge for having some of the lower cases of Covid-19 reported in the country. That said I made it clear that if anyone didn’t want to attend owing to Covid concerns, I’d be totally cool with it. Anyone pushing peer pressure in a pandemic – not cool. A few people opted out, and that’s fine, but the majority were comfortable in joining on the day. Fortunately I have fairly sensible group of people to call my friends, and I really appreciated them joining me in a celebration, in a year that has given little to look forward to.