August 2020 – December 2020

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Portraits : 6 August 2020 – December 2020

“V.B.” 28 December 2020. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that some people are dealing with things other than pandemics. V.B. lives in Belarus, and she talks candidly and with gentle humour about the challenges of normal life under a leader who won’t accept the will of the people in a democratic election. Peaceful protests are met with arrests, beatings, and far worse. A humbling conversation.

V.B.“V.B.” 28/12/20

30/12/20  New Year’s Eve. Oxford/Astra Zeneka vaccine approved.  Government has bought doses for 50m people.  
House of Commons votes to accept Brexit EU Free Trade Deal.
28/12/20 Highest daily record of Covid cases – 41,385.  
24/12/20  Christmas Eve, and a Brexit deal is struck.  Over 6,000 trucks stuck in on M20 in Kent!
22/12/20   France demanding all drivers to be tested.  Supermarkets stockpiling.
20/12/20  France closes its borders with the UK.  Channel ports, Eurostar.
19/12/20  Matt Hancock – the new virus variant is “out of control”.
18/12/20. New ‘tier4’ announced for London & SE. No household mixing, non-essential shops shut.  No Christmas
15/12/20 New variant of coronavirus found in Kent.  Much more infectious.
8/12/20 “V-day” – vaccinations start.
2/12/20 NHRA has approved use of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
25/11/20 Economy has shrunk by 11% – deepest recession for 300 years!
24/11/20 Boris J. announces Christmas rules – up to 3 households for up to 5 days.
23/11/20 Oxford/Astra Zeneka vaccine announced as being 70% effective.
22/11/20 US Judge calls Trump’s attempts to overturn election result “a Frankenstein’s monster of a case, haphazardly stitched together”.
15/11/20 Pressure to stop social media platforms allowing anti-vax posts.

“D.S.” 13 November 2020. A young man living in London, & feeling the loss of the urban buzz. No eating out, no meeting up with mates. He shares his own philosophical take on our current situation, which has fascinating resonances.

D.S.“D.S.” 13/11/20

9/11/20 Pfizer & BioNtech vaccine found to be 90% effective. “Great day for science and humanity”
8/11/20 Joe Biden wins the US election.

“B.S.” 7 November 2020. Working around the world with an independent humanitarian organisation, she reflects on a more global view of the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fascinating.

B.S.“B.S.” 7/11/20

6/11/20 Manchester Uni erects a 2m high fence around the halls of residence. Students pull it down.
3/11/20 US Presidential Election day.   Trump declares he has won.

“A.K.” 2 November 2020. Head Teacher of a busy junior school. She talks about managing the school community through the various phases of the Coronavirus restrictions with enormous generosity and enthusiasm. The wellbeing of the children and their teachers are her main priority throughout. Very inspiring.

A.K.“A.K.” 2/11/20

30/10/20 BJ announces new national lockdown until 2 December.
22/10/20 Marcus Rashford, footballer, plea to provide free meals for school children during the holidays.
16/10/20   Boris Johnson says that EU talks are “over”.
Samuel Paty, a french teacher, beheaded in the street because he had shown students copies of Charlie Hebdo cartoons.

“M.F.” 19 October 2020. An American living and working in London, having previously studied in Paris. She offers a fascinating perspective on the different cultures and their politics, and the contrasting attitudes to health care.

M.F.“M.F.” 19/10/20

12/10/20 Over 13,000 arts organisations to receive life-saving grants today.

“S.G.” 11 October 2020.   REMOVED

6/10/20  Trump says “Don’t be afraid of Covid” after 210,000 US citizens have died from it.
2/10/20 Donald and Melania Trump both test positive for Coronavirus.

“T.D.” 23 September 2020. She spent her summer helping out in the Calais refugee camps.  She offers a fascinating insight into the politics of it all, and the feeling of impotence as a small cog in a large and rather wobbly machine. She’s now back at university in Manchester, dealing with lockdown and a rather surreal learning experience.

T.D.“T.D.” 23/09/20

21/9/20 Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whittey, says Britain is at a “critical point”.

“M.D.” 19 September 2020. On the front line, managing the logistics of Covid-19 Convalescent Antibody Serum collection and processing. What an undertaking!

M.D.“M.D.” 12/9/20

11/9/20 Devastating fire in Moria refugee camp on Lesbos. 13,000 people homeless.

“F.L.” 10/9/20. To fully comprehend the devastation inflicted by the 2020 A-level results fiasco, this will be the conversation to be listened to. “F.L.” is an engaging and intelligent young lady with a great future ahead of her, despite everything.

F.L.“F.L.” 10/09/20

10/9/20 “Operation Moonshot” announced – aiming to test 3 million daily by December.  Currently 175,000!
9/9/20 Overnight ruling – “RULE OF SIX” no social gatherings of 6+ people, indoors or outdoors, becomes law.

“E.W.” 11 September 2020. If anyone thinks that the young are not committed to changing the world, they need to listen to this conversation! A passionate young activist, talking as she steps away from home and off to Uni.

E.W.“E.W.” 11/9/20

1/9/20 Schools back. Students returning to university.

“A.N.” 25 August 2020. Kent is the landing place for desperate people crossing the Channel. “A.N.” talks about refugees experiences across three generations of her family in such a profound and human way, and shares her views on how society treats these people.

A.N.“A.N.” 25/08/20

25/8/20 Republican and Democrat conventions in USA. Very dark language being used on both sides.
19/8/20 Brexit negotiations start up again in Brussels.
11/8/20 – 18/8/20 A-level results are a complete shambles, causing no end of distress to thousands of young people, and chaos for university admissions teams.

“B.G.” 6 August 2020. A very personal story of family, young and old. What do you do when you have a premonition that your home and your livelihood are about to be ripped away from you? You find that what remains is so special, and needs to be treasured. Such a life-affirming story.

B.G.“B.G.” 6/8/20

4/8 Devastating blast in Beirut port. 2.700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.
2/8 Wildfires in Brazil up 25% on last year. First environmental news for months!
24/7 Wearing face masks becomes mandatory in shops and enclosed spaces.
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