Ditch the greed, it’s time to look out for each other in this unwanted era of Covid-19

In that time, everything we all took for granted until a few days ago was still in place; theatres were open, bars and restaurants bustling and travel relatively hassle free. There were a few inklings that things might be about to change, but few seemed willing, or even able, to acknowledge them.

My journey south started normally enough on the Wednesday, a scenic run down the East Coast line with LNER. It’s a beautiful route at the best of times and one that is simply spectacular on a good day.

Four and a half hours later, as we pulled into London, a Tweet from a friend in Germany caught my attention. Concerned I should be in the English Capital, she wrote: ‘Liam, if you come from London and feel ill, be careful. Many people get sick after returning from there, seems to be a Covid-19 Cluster... ’ It would be another week before London was revealed as being ahead of the national curve, but it gave me a chill none the less. I wonder how they knew in Germany?

In London, life is fast. It always has been. Even when I lived there in the 80s everyone was on the go all the time. They never stopped, many holding down more than one job at a time, home, a place you went briefly to sleep. Bustling.

As I arrived my first hotel - I had two travel pieces to write - it was quieter than I expected. So too was my second hotel and I noticed the Underground too was often deserted. Elsewhere however, life was normal, yes, there were the usual mask-wearing tourists, but then, aren’t there always.

As word filtered through that Broadway had closed its theatres, the whispers started - the West End would be next. The signs were already there, trying to obtain a ticket for a sold out play, the theatre promised, ‘Just turn up, we’ll fit you in.’ People has started choosing not to use their tickets rather than risk a night at the theatre.

Then the fear and tension started to surface and by the time I hopped aboard my Azuma home last Friday, there was a palpable feeling of escape. Since then, I’ve watched stunned as friends have lost their jobs, businesses have been put on hold and the population have continued their lives in shocked disbelief.

Shock and despair is also how I feel about hoarders and the lack of humanity they show, their greed revealing their true colours.

As the first weekend of this unwanted new age approaches, I’m typing this with a pack of toilet rolls by my feet, a gift from my pal Paul, who despite facing the hardest week of his life, a week in which he and his business partner Stuart have had to close a restaurant they’ve taken years to establish, is still thinking about how he can help others.

It’s what we all need to do right now. So, be like Paul and, as hard as it becomes, we will get through this together.

Ditch the greed, it’s time to look out for each other in this unwanted era of Covid-19 - Liam Rudden