Coronavirus in Hove: ‘I’m trying to be less scared … worry won’t keep us safe’
This month marked the first time I've ever been to a queue-free post office, and been served by a man wearing gloves in the service station. "We've been told to use antibacterial gel every half hour too," he told me. Supermarkets are quieter than usual, but with no signs of panic buying - unless hand sanitiser counts. "I went to five shops and couldn't find any," a neighbour texted me. Dozens of people are "self-isolating", and it's a risky place for secret affairs because of the chance everyone you've been in touch with will need tracing.
This is life at the centre of the UK coronavirus breakout, Hove. I'd like to pretend that I've been brave, but it wouldn't be true. I found the outbreak four streets away of a virus that had at that point killed hundreds of people in China alarming. The anxiety I felt came in waves, sending my maternal protectiveness into overdrive.
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