“Even though it was not a complete freedom, people seemed to be more confident about the situation, in the second lockdown”.
In case some people do not know, Ireland fast forwarded into level 5 lockdown on the 21st of October, 2020, which was recorded as the second lockdown in Ireland. But we could all tell that there were major differences between the first and the second lockdown because more people were seen on the streets, either going to work or going school or stores. Comparison. Most shops stayed opened this time but only operated on a delivery or takeout base. Differences in lockdown
What the level 5 entailed was that, you could not travel more than 5km away from your home but some people still had the liberty of travelling beyond 5km, either for work or for personal reasons which may include all sorts. It is true that the Irish restrictions were not quite as severe as during the first lockdown in March, this time around larger numbers were permitted as well as weddings and funerals but with strict safety precautions. Other parts of the world could say the same thing. Second lockdown, different from first. UK
The first lockdown was a scare, it affected almost every country in the world and this is because people had little to no idea, what the COVID-19 was about. For some people, it looked like the end of the world. Of course it did when every TV station was about the virus and movies were about the end of the world. One could also tell from the way shops were becoming empty due to the fear of lack of food.
“The first lockdown me and my nanny took really seriously because my nanny is over age and my dad has a chronic lung disease, the government made us panic and i lost my job.” pearl mentioned in an interview.
Education was stopped for a while until later when some schools devised an online system of learning, most people lost their jobs due to the shutdown of the economy, businesses were affected. Only essential sectors were allowed to run like grocery stores, health care, logistics. These were literally the only shops allowed to be opened. At that point, people were only trying to keep safe and eat. it lasted for 3 months and summer was here…
The holiday season this year was less enthusiastic as Ireland was faced with the second lockdown One would wonder if there was really a lockdown and even if it was, people were probably getting fed up of sitting at home coupled with the “tis the season” feeling.
Compared to the first lockdown, most sectors of the economy that were not functioning in the first, became opened in the second lockdown. This time around, everyone was ensuring to take the safety precautions seriously with strict no sit-ins, in coffee shops or restaurants, masks 100% mandatory in buses and a strict 2km distance in shops. People can still visit the gym.
At the city center in Dublin, more people were seen on the streets, most of then taking walks others sitting down and having coffee. The center had more people in the second lockdown than in the first.
“i already knew the safety precautions to take, i just had to go out this time, even if there was not much to go out to” Angel said.
In the second lockdown, more people worked and commuted from one place to another on the conditions that you are “permitted” to commute farther than travel limit. There was a fine for exceeding the travel limit but what was interesting was people still moved past the travel limit, mostly for work purposes. Others who most past it, seemed to have other important reasons.
“Due to too many stops, i found out that the other way to travel past the limit was with the bus” she continued.
The bus transportation was one of the essential sectors that was still very accessible. For those who tired, it was no secret that buses were not interrupted by check ups due to essential workers who had to get to work. All buses were allowed to travel. Angel mentioned how she was able to travel to Wicklow by bus without interference and what was also interesting was how many people on the bus to Wicklow. A road trip can be fun sometimes but a lockdown road trip would be less interesting, people had to go about their activities at the end of the day.
It seemed that more people felt relaxed in the second lockdown probably because the situation was not entirely new and everyone knew what they had to do.
