The UK lockdown was eased even further on June 1st, to try to stimulate the economy, which shrank by a record 20.4% in April, and it was hard to believe scenes likes this on Falmouth's Gyllyngvase Beach after those of only 2 months ago.
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| Falmouth's Gyllyngvase beach, June 1st..... |
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| ....and in April |
Only 5 days into the month the UK's Coronavirus death toll exceeded 40,000, only the 2nd country, after the USA with 108,000 deaths, to pass this tragic milestone.
A report earlier in the month claimed that the mining industry pushed governments to declare them “essential” and that many continue to operate throughout the pandemic leaving workers and nearby communities at grave risk. Mining sites around the world have become hotspots for the spread of coronavirus, and approximately 4,000 mine workers in 18 countries had tested positive, according to the report, by an international coalition of non-profit groups, who called mining “one of the most polluting, deadly, and destructive industries”, rejecting the claim that mining represents an essential service. Well, as I said in my posting of 21st May, not everyone will be happy with the reopening of mines but it is surprising how many are unaware of its crucial importance.
There was little evidence of social distancing at many of the Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests across the UK on the first Sunday of the month. The protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, USA, and, although largely peaceful, in Bristol a statue of a prominent 17th century slave trader was ripped down and dumped into the harbour. This led to calls from around the world for statues of fascists, slave traders and owners to be removed.
The following day would have been the start of MEI's conferences in Falmouth, beginning with Biomining '20 (posting of 8th June), and it was also the first day of the UK's highly controversial quarantining of arrivals into the country, requiring them to self-isolate for 14 days. The following week saw the reopening of non-essential shops, and Falmouth town centre slowly came back to life.
With pubs and restaurants now set to reopen on July 4th, who knows we may have a July sundowner after all! July could well be a critical month.
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| They think it's all over.... |
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| Sources: Peter Brookes, The Times, June 24th |
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A sad state as you rightly pointed out in brief; the story is the same across the globe;no country new what is the ideal way of tackling the problem--can not blame anyone; hope normalcy returns and a new order emerges. We thought economy/technology etc made the world a small village--after this what to expect and what order emerges is guess work as of now.
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