Yesterday I saw my Dad in a Lowther Gardens in Lytham. He was brought there by a carer not me and I sat on a park bench opposite him and at least 3 m away. This was the first time I had seen him since lockdown. I had to shout as he wears a hearing aid. I brought a flask of hot milky coffee as he likes it and he drank it. We sat and chatted for about 1.5 hours and then he was taken back to his apartment and I trudged back to the car. I complied completely with the edict from the government. I couldn't see my mother because she remains in a care home round the corner and under total lockdown. That is how it is and I do not know if such action will save them or me or everyone else. I am following the rules however. I could meet total strangers this way or in a supermarket but not family.
A 130 mile round trip to sit in a park just to see my Dad. That doesn't make much sense to me. I should be able to go see him in his apartment, cook him a meal, take him for a walk and stay if I wished. It was lovely to see him though and he was happy to see me.
I do not envy the governments of the world in trying to deal with this pandemic and I do not know all the answers. I do know however, and without reiterating all the comments made in other threads, that this country has been on the back foot from the off. You can take your pick of the errors from not taking it seriously in the beginning, not having the PPE in place, not testing 18 million visitors to the UK since February, not testing 1.3 million repatriated brits during the lockdown, not following the trace and test approach adopted by other countries, not entering lockdown soon enough, not learning from the likes of Italy and there are many others.
Those errors, in my opinion, have been compounded, by a premature easing of the lockdown, long before the decline in cases and deaths justified it, and we will see a spike.
You can only judge a government by its actions and inactions and this government has failed for the miriad of reasons previously stated.
Fishing having restarted is a welcome initiative and clearly one taken up by many. Let's hope it doesn't end in tears. How to deal with a pandemic doesn't involve political beliefs just common sense, a desire to do what's right and ensuring that the country is prepared for the difficult steps needed. Who could hand on heart say we are doing well.