Tears Over Tiers

My musing over the current Covid restrictions

(Originally posted 29th December 2020)

Things are all a bit strange for us at the moment in the shop. On one hand we are having to deal with polite but slightly awkward exchanges with customers who really shouldn’t be here at all because of restrictions applicable to their home tier. On the other hand, we love seeing our loyal local customers as well as those from further afield within Tier 2 who are making the most of this time between Christmas and New Year to get out and about with their families. In the middle of that we are doing our best to keep everyone safe and happy by continuing to carry out our Covid safe sanitation regime, asking customers to cover their faces and limit entry to the shop to one customer group at a time.

However, me and my staff are all starting to feel somewhat uncomfortable. We are very lucky to “only” be in Tier 2 but I read through the Tier 3 rules earlier to help me understand better what is expected of customers who are resident in higher tiers. On the basis that you take your home residence tier with you, Tier 3 customers aren’t allowed to consume takeaway food and drinks on our premises. It might not be obvious but our premises include the paved area outside, the shelter facing the beach and the grassed area with the benches on top of the lime kiln. How is a business like mine meant to police that?

Covid is in Fowey

I don’t want to close the shop because that doesn’t seem fair on people in Cornwall who are legitimately able to visit but I also don’t want to put my staff and local Tier 2 customers at risk from those from higher tiers who are travelling anyway. It’s just such a horrible time for everyone. I get how it’s frustrating that life is so restricted, I get how the rules are actually mine bogglingly confusing and changing all the time but it is what it is and we just have to make the best of it. Covid is here in Fowey, there is no getting away from that, numbers are rising across Cornwall and (yes, I am going to play that card) we have ONE small hospital.

What next?

So, as horrid as things are, and who knows what will come after the forthcoming government update tomorrow, surely we all owe it to each other to do the right thing. Watch this space...