Moving Away From Lockdown

Anita is a documentary photographer based in Plymouth that explores the significance of place and land as a dimension of human life, encompassing themes of cultural and social experiences and identity.

20th August 2020

Receiving GCSE results via email. Not being able to sit exams due to Lockdown followed by confusion over whether grades would be achieved by the use of an algorithm to estimate exam results or using centre assessed grades by the school, made for an uncertain and anxious time.

1st September 2020

A day off from work gives the opportunity to visit Plymouth City centre. Queuing, distancing, one-way systems, partitions/cubicles, signs and hand sanitising is still in place and excepted as part of daily life now.

Many signs are displayed outside of restaurants showing new ways to pay and virtual queuing to try and stay safe. From the 3^rd to 31^st August the government introduced the eat out to help out scheme with participating restaurants offering a 50% discount on food. An attempt to help the struggling restaurant industry and recover the economy.  Some restaurants are still offering similar discounts without aid from the government.

5th September 2020

Preparations underway for return to school on Monday. Hand gel and masks now make up the contents of the school bag. The School experience is going to be a little different. Letters from school inform that masks are to be worn by secondary age students in school corridors and communal areas where social distancing outside of year group bubbles is difficult. There has been an introduction of one-way systems, no queuing in corridors, and training on how to remove a mask avoiding their faces, not touching their faces, not touching their mouths and only touching the straps of their masks.  

Walking with the dog at Central park, I see even on the allotments there is no escaping signage and the reminder to keep safe and steps on how to do that.

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