This is lockdown in name only as rules are flouted: GP Taylor

The streets of Whitby are a good barometer to what is happening. Despite the best government efforts, people are still travelling here for the weekend, such is the selfishness of modern-day Britons. It is as if they do not care that they might be spreading a virus that has kept me away from the world since March.

Due to a couple of underlying health conditions I have had to keep socially distanced. From my window, I have watched people break the rules. It is infuriating to see others not bothering, knowing they will get away with it. I am angry that people just don’t care.

Recently, I heard of a divorced parent with asthma who is still shielding. They have been forced by the court to send their child back to school as her ex-husband didn’t agree to the child being taught at home, despite the possible dangers of going back to the classroom. The child was doing well at home and was happy. That woman is now at great risk and as schools close in her town with rising infections, the parent is scared of what might happen to her over the coming weeks. Even in divorce, Covid has become a weapon that can be used against vulnerable individuals.

The whole idea of this second lockdown is a farce. Traffic is still as busy as ever. The supermarket delivery man told me that he has seen little difference on the roads. Why is it that people are taking no notice?

Personally, I believe it is down to two things.

Firstly, there are those who believe if you ignore something for long enough it will go away. They are the keep calm and carry on brigade of the pandemic who live in the hope they will wake up one morning and it will all be over. Sadly, they are the most deluded. Killer Covid is here to stay and don’t pin your hopes on a vaccine. There is no cure for this disease, it plans to be here for a long time.

Secondly, some people do not want to obey the rules. I know of friends who have happily broken lockdown regulations because it suited them. Dinner parties have gone ahead and social distancing has been non-existent. Their selfishness has meant that other people have been infected and the disease has spread.

More and more people I know have become sick from an illness they caught because they bent the rules.

Living on the coast in these times is a blessing and a curse. It is fantastic to be in such a beautiful place, but worrying that people will come here regardless. The infection rate for the Borough of Scarborough is above the national average and yet people appear to be going to work, shopping and for a lock-in at the pub.

It is a dead give-away when you see people walking down the street on a Saturday night dressed to the nines. There is only one place they are going and that is to their local. Curtains may be drawn to keep the invited guests secret, but it is happening.

The same old cars are parking outside the holiday homes as second-homers come for their weekend breaks. The police are powerless and everyone knows it.

Some people are making the best of things at the expense of others. It is a sad state of affairs and will do nothing to stop this pandemic. We are now in the last two weeks of the lockdown.

Perhaps, if people want to have a decent Christmas they should start doing what the Government says.

We all really have to put the needs of others before our own. The secret house party or a catch up with a family member could cost someone their lives. Now is not the time to put ourselves first.

Sadly, that goes against human nature. Me, myself and I, is the god of this age. A quick look on social media proves that. The people who are staying in their homes and only going out for essentials are being made a fool of by the majority who are not.

The nine months I have been away from the world has changed me forever. I have realised that a lot of things I thought were important, no longer are. Holidays, restaurants, bookshops and parties are a thing of the past, a long distant memory of another life.

In reality, they are the flotsam of life that can be done without. I miss them, but they are not essential. Now, I search for a house away from society. A place where I can retreat to escape a world, that as I get older, I understand less and less.

GP Taylor is an author and broadcaster from Whitby

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.