Monday 16 March:

Moira and I chatted things through with daughter Ruth and we came to a decision to self-isolate (or self-distance?) sooner rather than later… we saw little point in awaiting a government directive… things were moving very fast. There were a number of things we needed to try to get organised (food being a priority) and so decided we would ‘lockdown’ over the course of the next few days… and certainly by the weekend. I’m determined to sketch outdoors for as long as possible (until the government imposes additional restrictions?), so went and sketched for 45 minutes at Bathurst Basin (see image).

Meanwhile, the UK government was advising individuals not to gather in pubs, restaurants, theatres etc (but not going as far as demanding that such establishments actually close – which effectively meant owners couldn’t claim insurance money etc!). Businesses of all sizes were starting to panic; many decided to close their doors. Many individuals with zero-hour contracts or in part-time jobs were massively struggling. All major sporting events have been cancelled.

There were calls for the government to make provision to make special provision for small businesses and the self-employed (who had very little financial security or protection in the light of the current situation; elsewhere in Europe, governments were freezing mortgage repayments, loans etc). The UK government kept worryingly quiet.