In and around a London lockdown. A Cartoon Diary by Pidge.

 At the beginning of lockdown the old and the vulnerable had been instructed to shield themselves by staying at home for a period which turned out to be nearly 6 months. But miraculously on  one day in August it was declared that it was now safe for all them to go out. This mass diagnosis was a relief to some:

The government wanted people to go back to work and to support the hospitality industry but the political imperative was to keep the schools open which prompted Boris to say that in the event of the coronavirus increasing again he would close the pubs before he closed the schools. This was not well received by all of the intended beneficiaries:

 Having been a subject of dispute for the whole of the pandemic masks now became centre stage: As seen in The Spectator  

 The ending of lockdown was accompanied by the government urging people to go back to work. But it had shot itself in the foot by scaring people into lockdown and found that this effect could not easily be unwound and consequently the proportion of people in the UK who wanted to return to work was less than any other European country. However some conscientious people were still keen to get back:

 As infection rates seemed to be on the increase in some favourite holiday destinations the government reacted by imposing ruthless quarantine limits at very short notice on people returning from sunnier climes. The requirement to stay at home for 14 days as a result of having returned from a holiday struck many people as unjust and it was difficult to see how it would be policed unless recalcitrants were readily identifiable:

Back in August developing  a  ‘world beating track and trace system’  meant that going out for a drink became more bureaucratic. As seen in The Spectator  

 As nervousness increased the easing of restrictions on weddings was delayed: