Our world’s changed on that fateful day in March when our Taoiseach announced the closure of schools and effectively, our society. And our lives changed out of all recognition. We had seen the sad, disturbing images of what was happening in Italy but never thought the same would be visited upon our nation. How wrong we were …

And while our Government moved swiftly to contain the virus, we still rank amongst the top ten globally, for deaths per million population. May they rest in peace.

As a record of this time, (and mostly for myself!) I thought I would just document the things that changed - in my world at least. Please share anything that I missed …

PS - these are not in any chronological order per say …..

• schools and universities closed 

• childcare facilities closed

• all businesses except those deemed “essential” closed - hairdressers, beauticians, clothes shops, coffee shops, restaurants, book shops, interiors shop, car dealerships …

• essential businesses were supermarkets, chemists, some repair shops, some opticians, dentists

• everyone else to work from home, where possible 

• all “non-essential” hospital appointments cancelled

• all “non-essential” travel restricted to within 2 km of home, moving to 5km after about 8 weeks

• no-one allowed visit each other or meet up

• over 70’s to cocoon

• only allowed to travel outside the 2km if an essential worker, helping a person over 70 with groceries or medicines or grocery shopping

• being stopped by the police and asked where you were going

• people cleared off the beaches by gardai

• home-schooling introduced - school work done over apps like Seesaw - parents cried

• people discovered the joys of connecting via Zoom

• all social life moved online - family quizzes, cookalongs, challenges, singalong

• popstars did online concerts from their own homes

• all sorts of businesses offered free services online - yoga, drawing, cooking, games for kids, exercise ….

• retail businesses started delivering all manner of stuff - veg boxes and pizza kits to bras and art supplies

• our streets were deserted in towns and villages across the country and the world

• people discovered their own areas within their 2km radius and then their 5km 

• nature played a starring role with the birds singing and the sun shining every day to lift our spirits

• we were able to explore our local golf course which we’d never been on in 15 years

• TikTok exploded and the dance of the lockdown had to be Blinding Lights

• people visiting cocooning relatives through windows

• birthdays conducted at a distance

• essential workers like police, firemen etc. helping out by delivering birthday messages and groceries

• bread baking reached new heights - sourdough and banana

• wearing leggings 97% of the time - people on work calls dressed properly from the waist up

• countless people lost their jobs 

• the Covid payment for people out of work

• Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris and Dr. Tony Holohan working tirelessly every day

• And across the ponds - Donald and Boris not getting it quite right ….

• getting to know neighbours 

• virtual St. Patrick’s Day parades, Easter egg hunts and more

• pregnant women having to give birth without their partners

• weddings cancelled

• communions and all other religious services cancel - Masses conducted online by priests in their churches by themselves

• sad, sad, sad funerals with no-one in attendance

• doing shopping for elderly parents

• sanitising your hands and your trolley every time you went into a shop that you’ve queued up to get into

• toilet paper running out - like what was that all about?!

• and then it was flour and hand sanitiser

• the nursing homes and the sadness of not being able to visit loved ones and the high incidence of death within them 

• everyone started making masks and sanitiser

• people raised money for all manner of things in all manners of innovative ways - feeding the frontline workers, feeding underprivileged children, through marathons within their 2km radius or shaving their hair

I know there are a thousand and one other ways that our world changed during lockdown - please share your thoughts!