Lockdown Latest
Covid Crisis Update from MD Gary Martin. Dated April 29th 2020.
I hope you are all enjoying our Lockdown Latest blogs. We are now 5 weeks into lockdown as another week has gone past.
The First couple of weeks of Lockdown
The first couple of weeks were strange. Suddenly having to change all our plans both in our business and personal lives. It was hard to wind down. So, we came up with plans for how we could continue the business after everything got back to “normal”. We put new ideas on hold and concentrated on how we would push forward with the design ideas we had started before lockdown.
Then….
Then we got more used to the restrictions and being at home. The sun came out and we had the perfect opportunity to do jobs around the house and garden. It even started to feel a bit like a holiday. With the death toll rising, It felt like as long as we and all our loved ones stay well, we could manage.
| It has certainly been a busy couple of weeks at the Martin household. My sons and myself have been working hard planting up the garden, building up new fences and most importantly, improving the wendy house for my grandaughters. |
Now….
Then as time has gone on and we still don’t know where this is going to end up, we are naturally starting to worry about the future for our business and finances. The Government are saying we have reached the peak and the curve is flattening. However, there is still no sign of the end of the lockdown. Indications are that it will be a very slow exit. Given that our industry involves “mass gatherings”, we could be last on the list of getting back to anything like normality. Social distancing and events obviously do not work well together!
Next….
However, it is still only April and looking forward positively, December is a long way off. For most of us in the industry, we need November, December and January to be operational. It could still happen. Tentative enquiries are coming in for November, so it is still possible that we could have a successful end to the year.
Some countries are now easing restrictions and getting back to work. It will be interesting to watch these countries to see if they suffer a second spike. If these measures work elsewhere in the world, we may be able to follow suit. Whilst I can’t see events coming back before September at the earliest, there is a distinct possibility that the festive season could get going by November. We can’t write it off just yet.
Positive Thoughts
There is of course a huge balancing act being undertaken by the government. They are obviously putting the health of the nation first. But they are also aware of the huge negative impact of poverty on health. They need to get the economy going as soon as it is safe to do so. Positive signs are starting to show. The new Nightingale Hospital built at the NEC Birmingham has so far not taken a single patient. The NHS are coping and numbers are not escalating. Maybe, just maybe we are on the path to recovery.
I hope you have all managed to make use of the financial help offered by the government to keep us going. Don’t forget you can defer your VAT. You can now also claim for your furloughed employees’ wages through the portal. And hopefully some of you have been offered the free grants available.
Please feel free to email us with any input you would like to add for discussion on our Lockdown Latest blogs.
Keep well and stay safe.
Gary Martin