Lockdown diary day 21

The end of the four-day Easter weekend coincides with three weeks since the Prime Minister announced the lockdown - three weeks during which he himself has had his life saved by the wonderful doctors and nurses of our NHS.

For most of us, almost certainly the strangest three weeks of our lives. Apart from a couple of shop visits for essential supplies my entire family have spent the whole of the Easter weekend at home which would be unimaginable for us under normal circumstances.

We've set up an exercise space in one of the reception rooms of our home with a rowing machine, walking machine, rebounder (a very small exercise trampoline) and weights.

Sadly although there are clear signs that the social distance measures adopted three weeks ago are having an effect which is now showing through in the number of new infections, we are very far from through this. It is not even certain that we have reached the peak of the first wave. The challenge is to draw this out so that it does not overwhelm the NHS and minimise the number of premature deaths while not wrecking the economy.

So the foreign secretary was quite right to say that it is far too soon to relax the lockdown - though we do need to think about how to relax the lockdown when we can without setting the disease onto a rapid upward track again.

Keep well.

Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives.


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