Coronavirus Update

The state of affairs : January 2021

I had always intended this posting (Part 3) to have detailed the practical training plan that my daughter and I have been following since October last year. I can say that we did achieve our first target for the walking training which was to have completed at least one walk of over 12.5 miles in length before the end of 2020. The plan now would have been to push those walks out to 25 miles in length before the Challenge Walk scheduled for May 1/2.

But the coronavirus situation in the UK at the moment of writing is not very good to say the least. In addition to the ongoing problems that everyone in the World has been facing for almost a year it seems we now have to face the more contagious mutations/variations that the virus will be morphing into as time goes by. To comply with our Government’s restrictions and honouring our own commitment not to expose ourselves unduly to the ever present risk of infection, my daughter and I are no longer walking together. We are all allowed ‘to take exercise’ close to home but not to overdo it and so 1 hour is considered to be an appropriate time. So now my daily walks are of 3.3 miles length which takes just over 1 hour comfortably. My daughter is currently restricted to walking at the weekend as she works from home. Though we should be thankful for being able to escape the house at least once a day this restriction on the mileage is undoubtedly a serious blow to the training schedule. For both of us the walk has become an exercise in avoidance of other people who are also out taking their exercise!

There are just 14 weekends to go before the Challenge Walk as it is currently scheduled. The UK nationwide restrictions look as though they are going to be in place at least until mid March. Even if that proves to be the case it would only give 6 weekends for us to get back on track with the training programme which for me would mean going from walks of 3.3 miles length to those of 25 miles in length, not impossible but far from ideal nonetheless. At this moment in time I think it’s safe to say that no one on the planet can be certain of anything where this virus is concerned.

The other very relevant problem concerns the venue for the Walk, i.e. The Isle of Wight. At the moment it is undergoing a very rapid increase in the rate of infections so it has been placed in what is known as Tier 4. Because of its relatively small population its one main hospital is already under severe pressure in common with so many more. Under such circumstances I can’t see that hosting an event such as the Challenge Walk that attracts around 2000 participants would be particularly welcomed. The situation with hotel accommodation could also be a problem. We had hoped to make a 3-night block booking for the weekend of May 1/2 but even if the hotel is open can you trust the efficiency of cleaning of the rooms? There are so many things to take into consideration as a result of this virus, it has definitely cast a whole new light on what was taken for granted before.

The one beacon shining in the darkness lies in the UK vaccination programme, something that we seem to be managing quite well. At the current rate of progress I could be vaccinated by the end of February. Everyone over 50 will have been offered the vaccine before the end of April. The Government are very much hoping to have broken out of a regime of restrictions and lockdowns once the bulk of the vulnerable members of the population become vaccinated.

So that is the current situation here in the UK. There is hope. Today’s data indicates a small fall in both the rate of infections and the number of deaths. Last year the Challenge Walk was postponed until September. That may well prove to be a sensible action this year also. I’ll keep you posted.