Impact on daily life

Impact 16th June
Shops opened on Monday for the first time in 3 months.  They say it is “retail therapy” … buy things to make you feel better.  Large numbers of people formed long queues in order to snap up some bargains.  Most of the crowds were patient and kept in order.  Some reported that once inside the shops, no one kept the social distance.  Most people agree this is progress, but they do not expect people to spend as much money as before.
Marcus Rashford, footballer with Manchester United, wrote in a newspaper about his childhood with free school meals and using the food banks.  He wants kids from school to carry on with meal vouchers during the summer holidays.  At Easter holidays and lockdown, families could get £15 per week vouchers from the school.  He wants the same for the long summer holidays.  He says they will go hungry if no vouchers.  Boris refuses  …. for the moment, but there will be a lot of pressure to make a U-turn.
Worry about jobs.  Millions on furlough.  Now it is clear that the number of real jobs has reduced by over 600 thousand – that is, between March and May.  There are also less jobs to apply for now.
Debate over the 2 metre rule for distance.  Pubs and restaurants say it has to be reduced so that they can have more people and try to get back to normal.  Health experts are worried as they say ‘reduce to 1 metre and it is ten times easier for virus to spread’.  Government to make a review.