Lockdown has effectively segregated people behind closed doors, dividing society into different groups, two of which appear at opposite extremes: those suffering from anxiety around the ongoing pandemic, and those who don’t really care.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the government also has a role in this, as the lockdown rules continue to seem confusing to some, many of whom voice their opinions strongly online.
The coronavirus pandemic has led governments in different countries to introduce lockdowns, along with social distancing guidelines. Rules vary between countries, with some being much stricter than others. While the British government allowed its citizens to leave their homes for daily exercise, citizens in countries like Spain were only allowed to go out when absolutely necessary – meaning that they could leave their homes for little more than grocery shopping.
At the other end of the spectrum, the UK government being more flexible during the pandemic meant that some people could have possibly abused their freedom, creating a division behind closed doors. As lockdown eases and people start going out again, it seems like some are already taking full advantage of the benefits they have been given.
There have been numerous situations in which people within our society have been judged and called out, both fairly and unfairly, for breaking the lockdown rules. These cases emphasise that there is a clear division between people who have developed extreme and perhaps unnecessary levels of panic and anxiety in regards to the virus, and people who disregard lockdown, rather than see it as something they should take seriously at any level.
Mass brawlings and gatherings are striking examples of the instances in which people have been reasonably slammed. One instance on a beach saw over 100 people involved in a mass brawl, the video of which was promptly circulated to thousands online. Once the video surfaced on social media, it was reasonably slammed by the public, with the South Wales crime commissioner describing the scene as a “contagion of stupidity”.
It is one thing to go out whilst respecting social distancing rules, and attempt to return to some form of normality, but some seem to have forgotten about the virus altogether. Surely, breaking lockdown rules to attend mass gatherings at the beach is wrong, considering the fact that there is an ongoing worldwide pandemic which has killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Similarly, other situations such as people assisting parties during the lockdown have led to intense criticism from the public. One example which comes to mind is that of a few weeks ago, in which Watford stars Andre Gray, Nathaniel Chalobah and Domingos Quina were called out for breaking the lockdown rules in order to party.
The men were called out for their “gross stupidity and unprofessionalism” by footballer Ally McCoist on talkSPORT Breakfast after Gray reportedly held his 29th birthday celebration during the pandemic. Partying, clearly not being a necessity, puts these three public figures in a bad light, and it makes them appear as inconsiderate, and careless.
However, some cases of public shaming are not so clear cut. There have been situations in which the extreme panic of certain people has led to an unreasonable slamming. An example of this could be the occasion in which a mum was widely criticised on well-known parents’ forum Mumsnet in March for apparently breaking lockdown rules by delivering brownies to her daughter’s friend.
Despite her being considerate of social distancing rules by dropping the brownies on her daughter’s friend’s doorstep and going back to the pavement at about 12 feet away, she was still called out by users who claimed she ‘flouted the lockdown rules’.
Situations such as these may act as an example of the unnecessary panic which some members of our society have developed, and it has in turn led to some people turning colder and perhaps more selfish, slamming one another for relatively small incidents that should not be taken out of proportion.
Aside from ourselves, we should also wonder if the division has to do with the government’s way of communicating lockdown rules to the public. After carrying out a quick browse on Twitter, tweet upon tweet can be found in which UK citizens highlight the confusion they feel as a result of the lockdown rules put forward by the government. One user tweets: “Seriously, does ANYONE know the Covid rules anymore?”, whilst another comments: “Absolutely 100% believe the government keeps making new lockdown rules as confusing and arbitrary as possible in order to encourage people to ignore original, sensible lockdown rules which they never wanted in the first place.”
People have previously expressed their confusion at prime minister Boris Johnson telling people to go back to work while still practising social distancing. Actor Matt Lucas was one of the people to portray the confusion on a video uploaded to his Instagram and captioned as ‘#clarity’, in which he impersonates Boris Johnson delivering the rules. In the video, Lucas appears imitating the prime minister’s voice: “We are saying, don’t go to work, go to work. Don’t take public transport. Go to work, don’t go to work. Stay indoors. If you can work from home, go to work. Don’t go to work. Go outside, don’t go outside.”
What does all this say about the current situation on the pandemic and the way in which our society is handling it? It could be said that some people are taking the absolute piss out of lockdown rules, and regarding coronavirus as a mild issue that everyone seems to be overreacting about. This may or may not be linked to the guidelines set by the government confusing the public.
All of this doesn’t mean that the virus and lockdown rules shouldn’t be taken seriously at all. The lockdown has left us with two extremes at play; those in panic, slamming others for small gestures such as going out once per day, and those who are attempting to return to normality a bit too soon. Neither is excusable, but as explained earlier both are understandable.
As long as we all remain considerate of one another, and practice social distancing as much as we can, we should still be allowed to go out and live our lives as we wish. Crucially, we should be able to do so without being unnecessarily judged by other members of society.
