Charcoal

The wonderful weather that we've been having recently has made London so much more livable. One of the things that stuck most with me from my time in South Korea was how scorchingly hot and humid it could get from the middle of May to the end of August. At points, it was too warm to go outside, and I had to sit panting in my living room in front of the air conditioner, praying to dark. But London's summer hasn't become like that yet - it is a dry, warming kind of heat that makes you happier.

In my view, however, that doesn't justify the urge to go outside and start having barbecues without a care in the world - not when there's a disease that's struck over five million people worldwide. So you may imagine my sadness and confusion this morning, when I came across a mound of charcoal dumped into a plastic bag in the middle of Holland Park, complete with a blackened grating, cardboard plates still stained with sauces, and plastic juice cups. Clearly, somebody had decided that they wanted a picnic.

It's an understandable sentiment. After all, nine weeks have passed since the beginning of lockdown, and we all want to be getting back to normal. But our enemy has not yet been defeated, even though quarantines are easing across Europe. Just yesterday, the largest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day was reported, prompting the WHO to release a global health warning. And the chance of a second wave occurring remains high. I'm sure that I speak for everyone when I say that the prospect of a second period of remaining in my house, shut away from everybody and only able to communicate via screens, is distinctly unappealing. So why do people disregard their own safety, as was evidenced by what I saw this morning? Perhaps the stresses of social distancing are proving too much for them, and they're seeking a release from their boredom and loneliness. 

Another day of work, fundraising and life has passed by fruitfully, and I'm happy that I've got things to be doing at home, with a relatively certain future of education, examinations and school life ahead of me. But my heart goes out to those who can't stand this period - who want to just get outside and return to their friends and loved ones, even at the risk of infection and much suffering. For their sake, I hope that this all ends soon - and yet we cannot rush it. The costs of going under again are far too great.

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