Helen
New advice from the government, to keep distance from people and wash hands. Decided to go for a walk in the countryside. It was quiet and we saw our first lambs of the season, gorgeous. Needing milk, we thought we’d pop into Aldi, as we were passing on the way home. Not having shopped for a week, we were amazed at the effects of panic buying. Empty shelves, what a strange sight. We left empty handed.
On 16 March 2020, one week before official government guidance, and just as Covid 19 was turning into a global epidemic, the Performance Ensemble went into lockdown. Our weekly company workshops came to an abrupt halt, and we disappeared behind our individual front doors. The easy ways of communicating, face to face, were no more. But we still needed to connect. Nine of the company started to keep diaries of their experiences, as a way of overcoming the isolation. Here they are: 31 days of lockdown, recorded during the months of March and April, beginning on 16 March and ending on 1 May, just as restrictions started to be eased. Edited by Barney Bardsley