Stranger Danger
There's nobody to fear more than a stranger, or at least that's the message that can be drummed into us from birth. Indeed I clearly remember as a child being told constantly never to accept sweets from strangers. Chance would be a fine thing, how many people actually went round offering me sweets? That said, I do recall a confusing occasion when at about the age of 5 or 6, I was waiting at a bus stop with my mother when a creepy interloper tried to hand me a piece of toffee. Exemplary child that I was, I politely refused, only for my mother to dig me in the ribs and tell me to take it and thank the man. It emerged later that my mother too had considered the stranger very weird indeed and hadn't wanted to upset or anger him by refusing what was assumed to be a kind gesture. I guess it's never easy sticking to rules in every instance.
Take this past week when the youngest has come back from London to visit. We haven't seen her since Christmas as a consequence of the restrictions and, although looking forward to her stay, were also slightly fearful as to how to handle it, even with social distancing, constant hand washing and wiping down etc.. Now she's been here for a few days, the precautions are, of course, in danger of slipping.
I know we're supposed to treat everybody outside of the immediate household as potentially carrying the black death but it is hard when your guest is kith and kin rather than an outsider. Having to be wary of your own family members is truly difficult to adapt to and whilst hopefully none of us are at risk from each other, I can fully understand why the modelling is beginning to show that the biggest risk of transmission of coronavirus is in the home. With statistics that show most accidents happen within your own four walls and that murder victims frequently know their assailant, it's inevitable that we are now being told that the most likely place to catch Covid -19 is at your own address from one of your nearest and dearest.
Luckily not only do we all feel well but none of us has been inside a crowded pub or meat factory recently and we haven't had the good fortune to return from foreign travels or even a UK hotspot. Whilst the youngest travelled north by train, her carriage was virtually empty, her mask intact throughout and hand sanitiser in constant use.
It's so easy to recite a long list of excuses for letting your guard down but ultimately you end up doing your best to eliminate the obvious risks and trusting that's sufficient. The alternative, which would be to continue life in self imposed lockdown and isolation, is just too miserable to contemplate.
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