From my observations (backed up by surveys) the number of people no longer socially distancing is going up rapidly, which I worry will cause a second wave of Covid. The main group – my observations and surveys tally again – appear to be young men. On the Two Tunnels Cycle Way yesterday there were several groups of six-eight teenagers/young men, stopping together, having barbecues etc. Okay, so they are the least likely demographic to be infected but that's only a slight saving grace.
I'm still on furlough though wouldn't be surprised to be called back, perhaps part-time, in the next week or two; I can do my job entirely from home though that is dependent on at least one person who has to work on-site, and the hygiene/social distancing there will need looking at. I imagine the first few weeks back will be very odd but there will at least be a lot of us in the same boat, and I do have a project to do straightaway – five bikes that are ready and waiting to be tested and written about, which is about two weeks' work.
I was furloughed on April 9 and set myself a target of cycling 1000 miles by the end of May – I reached 1100 miles yesterday and I'm now aiming for 1400 miles; basically I'm up to about 230 miles a week, five or six rides between 30 and 50 miles, though I'm searching out quieter roads now that traffic is increasing heavily. Stay Alert? – Every single minute when you're cycling on country roads! The rides take in climbing rides, quicker rides, shorter fat-burning rides and so on. It has helped me keep both physically fit and mentally healthier than I've been in years. The lack of social contacts also means that I haven't had any colds/similar bugs, which I'm very prone to. And I have a killer cycling tan!
Oddly, there are very few things I miss, with charity shops and gigs perhaps the most prominent; I miss playing football much less than expected, which is good as I can't do it forever!
Hope everybody's well out there.