Coronavirus streets in Manchester - IV

The hermit with a cause

I had begun to have itching feet as I have not been out of my apartment for almost a week, I would think it was last Saturday that I was last out to do some shopping. The obligatory 1-hour of exercise granted us during the lockdown period as if someone will be twitching curtains and running the times of the ingress and egress of their neighbours, is fanciful at best.

That is not to say that the restriction in liberties has not created a suspicious and agitated community around us. In the quest for corporate health, we have entertained and accepted an unhealthy coexistence on the premise that we are saving lives, but 31,651 COVID-19 deaths in the UK, tells a different story. [COVID19INFO.Live]

Adaptations and change

Stepping out, I noticed my street had been freshly macadamised with newly painted road markings. I would suspect the council has taken the opportunity to fix the bad and potholed roads. The construction site in front of my block even has COVID-19 arrangements for scheduling staff from the day before and how they are registered for work.

I needed to do some shopping and for the first time in a while, I did not have to queue up at my local supermarket, I could walk right in. I noticed a few discounted things like prepacked fruit, fruit juice, and sliced bread, the milk was back at its original price, a difference of 20%. I thought I might find an apple corer, but it is a small shop, and I was done.

Words for the picture

Taking a detour, I walked up towards the chemist, it was closed and I took a longer stretch of the road towards the Central Library, a statue on side of the office blocks with the sign, “Deeds not words”, on the partially encircling low embarkment protected the likeness of Emmeline Pankhurst (1858 – 1928), the suffragette. I reached into my mobile phone holster to get my phone for a picture, only to realise it was empty.

Strangely, as I was about to leave my home, I remembered to fix the holster to my belt, but forgot to put the phone in it, considering it was the thought of protecting the phone that informed my getting the holster. Anyway, I made it back home observing the many couriers at restaurants or on their bicycles, picking up food orders for delivery.

The streets are quiet, calm, with not that many people. You can only wonder what the blusterer of Downing Street would have to say tomorrow. Whatever he says, I think people would do the sensible thing, seeking protection, avoiding unnecessary journeys and being cautionary about meeting up with family, friends, and acquaintances. I doubt we would allow this untrustworthy government to lead us by the nose to becoming a Coronavirus pandemic statistic.