Some of our current lockdown restrictions, namely allowing two households to mix outdoors, or a total of six people, and outdoor sports, were lifted on Monday. From the 12th of April, further relaxing of the rules will enable hairdressers to reopen, to name but a few. It is hoped we will never revisit another lockdown, but, is there a price to pay going forward? For all those who are hopeful, these are some of the things we can look forward to.
Seeing as we’re not able to go abroad yet, people are settling down for “staycations” around the country and you’re able to explore parts of the country you’ll never have thought of before. However seeing as lots of people have the same ideas, there may be some challenges with this. Minoo Madhok booked a staycation and told me: ‘There are lots of places which are fully booked, and it’s more expensive than ever before.’
Further to this, I asked whether the option of a refund was a big factor in her decision and she replied with: ‘Yes, it was a huge factor, seeing as we don’t know what’s going to happen, but most places were offering on providing you cancelled a week before travel and I did book something for April which I managed to reschedule for later in the year, instead of being refunded.’ I then asked whether or not any safety precautions would be in place and she said: ‘In the place I’ve booked, they’ve made it clear that they’re ensuring the place is as safe as possible, which goes from T.V. remotes and handles being sanitised, to all sheets being washed on a high temperature for covid safety! Furthermore, there’s no need to meet the owners in person, but if necessary, the 2m social distancing rule will take place.’
For children, outdoor (group) trips, such as opportunities for the Duke of Edinburgh expedition to go ahead are long overdue; from my personal experience, I’ve waited over a year for my silver expedition and hopefully, over summer we’ll be able to explore more than just our living rooms! Group outdoor activities e.g. tennis and cricket holiday camps. Swimming clubs are certainly worth looking forward to.
Hairdressers, and beauticians aren’t open but are already overbooked, with some long waiting lists and have increased their prices to compensate. I had hoped to interview my local hairdresser, but she was so busy taking bookings, she apologised for being unavailable at present!
Overall, after waiting a year, I think the majority of people would be happy to have their liberty to holiday, exercise and be able to get a haircut, rather than being concerned with the downsides that may come with the restrictions not being entirely lifted. So book that “staycation”, get a haircut, and children, join in the team sport as soon as possible!
By Ambar Madhok
