GETAWAYS Society
A LOVING COUNTRY?
We had never previously witnessed an outpouring of love like it. The empty carparks. The lack of traffic. The deserted school playgrounds. Pubs and restaurants closed. People keeping a respectful distance from each other when they had to mingle – at the supermarket, in a takeaway coffee line, at the bus stop. People wearing masks when asked to do so. Neighbours looking out for each other, especially for the frail aged and others at risk of social isolation morphing into loneliness.
Some people found it spooky. Some found it sad. Some simply ignored it all and tried to carry on as if nothing had changed – thus risking their own and others’ health. Most of us, though, accepted the seriousness of the situation and abided by the regulations, heeding the advice that staying home, or wearing masks, or keeping our distance from each other would save lives (including our own).
There were, of course, people who had to leave home: healthcare workers, supermarket and other food-supply workers, transport workers, garbage collectors, police… all those who provide the essential services that ensure our safety and our very survival. For them, the act of love was not staying at
