At time of writing, the Isle of Man has two confirmed cases of Coronavirus / Covid-19. Social distancing is encouraged, as the best way to minimise the spread of the virus.
To be honest, social distancing looks a lot like normal life for me – staying at home, not seeing people, communicating via social media and text message. Not a problem. I’m an introvert, I like being at home, I like my own company. If anything, I’m more likely to suffer from the lack of alone time. I work from home anyway, so being stuck in the house does not prevent me from working.
I am massively worried about the ongoing economic effects of Covid-19. Everywhere I turn, there are people worrying about how they’ll make ends meet. The TT has been cancelled this year, and that’s a huge proportion of the Island’s income. Many visitors book their travel and accommodation a full year ahead, so the Island’s B&Bs and guesthouses would have already had lots of bookings in place – they’re all cancelled now. There is also the TT Homestay scheme, where homeowners can rent out spare bedrooms for the duration of the TT, which is a very welcome boost to people’s income. That’s all cancelled too. Whilst pubs, bars and restaurants haven’t officially been told to close, many are doing. Childminders are unable to take children, meaning their parents can’t work. Tradesmen can’t go into people’s homes. I was told yesterday that a local department store (what we’d consider “big” in Island terms) has laid off 20 staff. I just can’t even imagine how terrifying it must be to lose your job at a time like this. Everyone is just thinking “What on Earth are we going to do?”
I am in the fortunate, and possibly unique position of knowing exactly what I’m going to do. I’m going to make soap. And when I’ve done that, and wrapped it, and labelled it, and sent it out to the shops who can get it to the people who need it, I’ll make some more. By coincidence, I had just taken delivery of a large order of ingredients, when the virus arrived in the UK, so when I’m worrying about my friends and family, I’ll make soap. When I’m concerned about our finances, I’ll make soap. When I’m scared, I’ll make soap. And when I’m thankful that I can, in some teeny, tiny way, do something that might help, I’ll make soap. It’s all I can think of to do.
