![]() ![]() ![]() “As soon as things were unlocking they were like, ‘I can’t wait to go clubbing, I can’t wait to go to festivals or go away.’ And I’m just like, ‘Oh my God, I feel anxious just to go on the bus to my work.’” “A lot of my friends have sort of adjusted,” said Grew. "I just have to get used to it." Sarah Tilotta/CNNĪs Britain looks to shake off the last of its coronavirus restrictions, despite an ongoing battle to contain a shape-shifting virus that continues to spin off new variants, many Britons such as Grew are finding the idea of returning to the office, taking crowded public transport or grabbing a pint with friends at a busy pub overwhelming, if not terrifying. "When I do go out, to places that are not close to my house, I instantly feel my heart beating harder, my chest feels tight," Grew said. The last time she went on the Tube – now plastered with signs asking passengers to wear masks and maintain social distancing – was in January 2020. Leaving home, even to walk around her neighborhood, became daunting. ![]() But during lockdown her anxiety and agoraphobia, which she had kept at bay before, worsened. “It’s like training to run a marathon,” she added.īefore the pandemic, Grew would take the bus or the London Underground to work. These practice runs, which she describes as a kind of exposure therapy, are her way of mentally preparing for a return to the office in August or September – the date has yet to be decided. “I have been trying to practice, to go out every day and go a bit further and a bit further,” said Grew, who works as a project manager for Britain’s National Health Service, helping to organize London’s Covid-19 vaccination rollout. Most evenings now, after logging off and closing her laptop, the 27-year-old unfolds her red Brompton bicycle, puts on her helmet and sets off down a suburban lane of terraced houses toward the city. Under the emergency measures passed for it, ministers are required by law to assess whether the rules are working, based on expert scientific advice, every three weeks.ĭon’t miss out on ET Prime stories! Get your daily dose of business updates on WhatsApp.In May, as the United Kingdom began to emerge from one of the world’s longest and most stringent lockdowns, Kitty Grew started doing dry-runs of the commute from her home in north London to her office five miles away. The UK's lockdown, which involves strict stay at home measures with movement allowed for limited urgent purposes only if "absolutely necessary" and for one form of daily exercise, came into force on March 23 in a televised address by Johnson. "If we can get a consensus that this is the right strategy going forward, I think that will give trust to the public as well," he said. He has urged the government to publish its lockdown strategy because "transparency is the best way" to maintain public trust. In a letter to Raab, Labour Leader Keir Starmer stressed that while millions of Britons are following the rules, they need some clear idea on what to expect in the future. The Opposition Labour Party has offered its support to an extension but is pressing the government on tabling an exit strategy from the severe policies and lay out a plan for how the country would eventually come out of it. ![]()
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