When I read my "Personal thoughts during a pandemic" I can see those dreadful daily reports of the progress of the disease, the numbers of people who had caught it and the number who had died. I read both the national and the local statistics Looking back I can see the speed at which the NHS had to react by reorganising hospitals and rapidly creating Nightingale hospitals.
No-one very close to me had covid mentioned on their death certificate but there were people I knew who died of it. However, four people close to me died from other causes during that first lockdown and I found it difficult to deal with grief without the usual rituals of visiting and going to funerals. Neither of those things is easy at the best of times, but I have learned a new appreciation of how important they are. I went to just one funeral: my aunt (who died of old age) was buried in the local cemetery and her son, daughter and I joined the minister at the graveside for a short open-air service.
However, there were new rituals. People stood in the streets to pay their respects. Flowers were left on front door steps.
Sorry that this is a sad post but the whole covid story is a tragedy.
A friend died, she was the wife of the Baptist minister in their town. Her son posted online a very moving video. He sat with his Dad in the car behind the hearse as it drove to the cemetery ‐ and filmed the streets which were lined with local folk who had come out to pay their respects.
ReplyDeleteOne lasting result of lockdown is that companies like Obitus now offer livestreaming of funeral services, so people can feel involved even if they can't attend in person.
We managed the time without anyone close lost to Covid, it does seam surreal, we were talking with our daughter, she struggled with her children who loved to play with their friends, it was hard to explain to them.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange how the memories of that time have all rolled into one, and that was 'watchfulness'. With a team of carers for my husband in every day I had to watch that they always washed their hands, standing over them like a teacher. I enjoyed the peace of the Summer, with no traffic sounds. But always the feeling of being careful was there. It was a sad time. looking back, and there are many now who say the govenment could have 'done better'. But no one can be prepared for something so unknown.
ReplyDeleteI, too, lost an aunt during the lockdown (not from Covid, but other health issues) and I didn't attend the funeral. My daughter got Covid and she was on her own in her apartment and I was not able to look after her. My house and my garden were my sanctuary and I was so happy that I had a garden in which to sit and walk around.
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