In it together or socially distant?
COVID-19 is presented as an equal opportunities virus. It does not discriminate and can strike down anyone on an almost random basis. Witness the Insta postings by Madonna speaking from a rose petal filled bath and by David Geffen aboard...
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A ‘virtual status’ in healthcare: Immigrant ‘key worker’ against the coronavirus crisis
A ‘key worker’ is defined by NHS Business as ‘a care professional who takes a key role in coordinating the care of the patient and promoting continuity, ensuring the patient knows who to access for information and advice’. National Health Service (NHS)...
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‘It’s a kind of magic’
COVID attire, mimesis and the limits of rationalism[1] Over the past few weeks, airport travel has had the feel of a global game of musical chairs, with everyone scrambling to find their seat (i.e., return home) before the music stops...
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What’s missing from the UK COVID response? Clear communication
If we were playing a game of Just A Minute with the political response to the COVID pandemic, the UK government would have been stopped multiple times for hesitation, repetition and deviation. The phrase ‘this is a war’ would be...
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The first of April and who was laughing?
April fool anyone? Or perhaps an April fish? Not in the mood? No, me neither. Although my younger daughter cling-filmed the toilet bowl and salted her mother’s morning cup of tea. My age-dulled palate barely registered the salt, and an...
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COVID: A rural perspective
How do we live today in the age of COVID? One answer is that, of course, there is no “we,” other than for our leaders who proclaim that “we will beat it together” and who misguidedly believe that “we can...
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Reasonable adjustments: work in the time of corona
Our universities have shut, and we do not know for how long. Many of us are adjusting to working remotely. The global pandemic of coronavirus is changing the way we interact socially, and changing the way we work. While employers...
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Sociology in Action: The unfolding COVID crisis
The scale and rapidity of the global, national and local responses to the impact of COVID are daunting, making it risky to comment in real-time. It is difficult to grasp all the fast-moving implications for societies as the crisis develops....
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The psychology of mutual aid