Are we on the brink of civil disobedience as lockdown measures continue? Tempers are beginning to fray

Are we reaching the limit of our patience when it comes to the current restrictions being applied to us? Are we on the brink of civil disobedience?

And are we being offered a false image of light at the end of the tunnel when, in reality, we’re a long way from reaching the end of it?

I’ve noticed in the last few days, a shortening in some people’s tempers.

True, I can only speak for those around me and those I encounter on social media or elsewhere through the wider media, but I have certainly witnessed flare-ups expressed on social media and in person too.

It’s as though there is a sense of irritation simmering into something more ugly.

Are we collectively fed-up with our lot and is the government going to have to manage us more stringently as well as the effects of the current pandemic?

I wonder if we’re now entering a stage of the false expectation that things are swiftly going to turn upwards when it comes to our freedoms, our work and life in general.

There’s certainly talk – and leaks – of government plans to introduce a roadmap of our way back to normality.

But that’s going to be vastly different to what went before Covid-19.

What’s more, it’s going to be you and I who regulate that route to normality, and, most obviously, by how quickly we embrace it.

I’ve spoken to a variety of people from the worlds of business, entertainment, charity and local government about how they foresee the climb out of lockdown.

All have said that even though the end of lockdown might be signalled by central government, there will be strings applied.

That is clear enough and it will take a considerable amount of time before our reported corona aversions towards each other recede.

But then, beyond those governmental strings – informed and backed by science – there will be businesses struggling for their very survival, trying to get back into normal trade practices while their markets are also recovering.

Business will have to do this with those strings – reduced hot desking, social distancing and possibly reduced staff numbers – all pulling in the opposite direction of travel.

And let nobody forget the financial constraints that we will all be feeling.

It has cost the government £8 billion to support the furloughed workforce of our country so far.

There will be more costs to work their way out of the system in the coming weeks and possibly months.

In America, the nation has just taken on a $3 trillion debt on its own journey out of the pandemic, and multiple tens of billions of dollars are being invested in the search – and race – to find a vaccine for global use.

All of these things will take time to run their course and all will, therefore, have their effect on our daily lives.

Someone said this week that it might be a blessing that the timing of the pandemic has come when our days are lengthening and the weather is improving.

They may have a point. Being able to get out for some exercise is something that many have embraced.

Recently I have witnessed plenty of runners, riders and walkers flexing their muscles and filling their lungs.

We’re all now in a kind of race – a marathon – which we have to pace ourselves over.

That pacing also includes our mental as well as our physical muscles.

If we don’t pace ourselves, we’ll burn out our patience - and our tempers too.

Let’s not forget others on their own marathons either…