Life in the Second Lockdown

Here We Go Again!

After the Government’s announcement at the weekend and the news that we have to enter a new lockdown… from Thursday, I am unsure what to do. There must be some sense in starting Thursday, and I can only think it is to help businesses prepare. But what if you own a pub or an independent business, for example, an independent wheelchair skills training business like mine? How can we prepare for not making any money to live by? Life in the second lockdown, how shall we cope?

Wheelchair skills training, second lockdown & Covid-19

Life in the second lockdown is strange! I suppose I can offer wheelchair training in controlled environments. Making sure everyone abides by social distancing measures, uses hand sanitiser and wears a face mask. But is it safe or fair to offer this when the client has to travel to me or I travel to the client to run an ‘Everday Skills’ training session? Would this add to the risk of overwhelming the NHS if something goes wrong? What if one of the parties is involved with an RTA and needs emergency services and hospitalisation? I am confident the client would not injure themselves during training as all safety measures are taken into account and written risk assessments are followed……… But still, there is a chance of someone injuring themselves; this cannot be ignored. 

Where is the risk in this Second Lockdown?

So am I doing the right thing, thinking I should not offer any training during this second – less strict – lockdown? My son is at school, no doubt he will be at football training at the weekend. This is with a team of 20 plus kids in his age group. We can walk the short distance to the training ground from home, so get to enjoy the morning air….

Training safety

I often question the safety measures silently when I am sitting in the middle of the field while watching the training. When the coach calls the team together for team talk or instructions, they all spread their arms out either side of themselves to make sure they are ‘social distancing’… But when they start doing drills, they queue up next to each other. Suddenly there are no distancing measures in place, and with it being a group of boys, they mess around, pushing and shoving, as kids do.

Questions

This is where I question the safety of this. No other parents seem too concerned, or maybe they are keeping their thoughts to themselves like me. They might not have any other underlying health conditions like myself or are not overly bothered if their kid unknowingly catches or passes anything on to another kid, who intern passes it on to his parents or grandparents… And the list goes on and on and….. 

Better safe then sorry

Finally, after long moments of deliberation, I have made a final, professional decision… Freedom Wheelchair Skills can offer no wheelchair skills training during this second lockdown at the local hall I use. I think it makes sense to be careful and protect myself, my family and others. You never know. I risked the school run this morning, and then I ran the gauntlet at the local supermarket for supplies. Masked up, I kept a safe distance from others, but there is still a chance, albeit slim, that I might have contracted something or passed something on…… Let’s all stay safe, everyone!  

In addition and safety

Here is the small print. Suppose you are desperate to learn how to be more confident using your wheelchair. To be able to take on those everyday environmental or homely challenges, please contact me to discuss your needs. We can look at training date options when lockdown two has passed.

In addition, when referring to football training, the team say coaches will be complying with FA safety standards.

Life in the second lockdown, it’s a strange one!