LIFE IN LOCKDOWN

The pandemic has drastically changed how we lead our daily lives, down to the finest details. Things we all took for granted only a few months ago, such as meeting with friends for a drink after work, seeing your favorite actor in the latest blockbuster film, cheering on your favorite sports team, or even going to get a haircut, were all suddenly dangerous. Worse still, we could not hug or even get close to our loved ones, with social distancing being touted by authorities as one of the most effective ways of stopping the virus from spreading. This was especially tough for the elderly, who were confined to their homes or residences with no relatives or friends allowed to visit them.

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A WINDOW INTO LOCKDOWN LIFE IN LONDON

FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA

Not since the Second World War has Britain’s way of life changed so dramatically. On 23 March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the implementation of social distancing measures banning social gatherings and groups of more than two people, closing schools, most major sports and entertainment events in order to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus causing the Covid-19 disease. The coronavirus has turned Britons lives upside down and, despite the huge challenges ordinary people are facing everyday, when the sun sets, families come together inside their homes. 

For families with children, confinement and life on lockdown presented new challenges: how do parents keep young children, bursting with energy, entertained, stimulated and educated when many schools were closed, and millions of children were not even allowed outside?  

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SCHOOLS SHUTDOWN IN CHINA

WU HONG & ROMAN PILIPEY

China’s approximately 300 million children were among those who suffered the most from the forced lockdown imposed at the end of January as the country geared up to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The education ministry ordered the closure of all daycare centers and schools on 27 January, confining children – and their parents –  to the walls of their homes and turning the country’s vibrant urban scenes into ghost towns, almost overnight. For weeks which later became months, youngsters were not allowed to meet with their grandparents, their cousins or their friends, nor were they even allowed outside to play or exercise.