4 Things You Need For A Socially Distanced Day-Out
I don’t know about anyone else, but since lockdown, my social anxiety has SKYROCKETED. I stutter like crazy; I’m paranoid and consistently nervous. It is not a vibe, and I’d like to go back to being my confident extroverted self as soon as possible, please.
In the pursuit of this, I’m cautiously stepping back out into society. I know the current situation with COVID-19 is still a delicate one. Local lockdowns are being sprinkled all over the place, and there are rumours of a second wave almost daily. So I’m aware there’s a need for caution but also, if I don’t make efforts to be social and socially distanced I never will. So before you judge the actions, I take in this blog, be warned that I am cautious and caring for my mental wellbeing.
A few weeks ago, I decided to plan a socially distanced day out for myself. I wanted to take some photos for an article I’m writing, and it required me to go to Chester. If you’ve read this blog since it started then you’ll know that I went to Uni there and a lot of my professional connections are based there. It’s a place I hold very close to my heart; it was exciting to go back even if it was for the day.
As a day out, it was brilliant. I was surprised at the amount of relief I got from merely wondering outside the city limits. I spent the morning wandering around the beautiful sights and tourist spots, but my afternoon was entirely consumed by myself adventuring through coffee shops and record stores. It was brilliant, and hopefully, I’ll share my venturings with you soon.
But today I want to talk about a list of things I took with me to make sure I was as cautious and as hygienic as possible.
I don’t drive. So public transport was my only option. The joys of growing up in an OCD household, I was more than prepared to survive the one-hour train journey from Wolverhampton to Chester. Here are a few things I packed which came in handy:
Anti Bac Wipes-
Although it feels like a bit of a given, not many people are carrying around anti-bacterial wipes with them. Nobody is there to consistently clean seats, and tables as people hop on and off the train. So before you take a position its essential to clean off the table and armchairs on the seat, you’ll be sitting on.
Plastic Seat Covers-
For the same reasons as above, plastic seat covers were a welcome comfort when travelling. I feel like the trains should be kept clean during the whole journey, but logistically this isn’t possible. When I hopped onto the train, the entire carriage was pretty decent (and empty), but there were crumbs and odd bits all over the place, which made me concerned that there hadn’t been more than a quick vacuum.
You can use anything as a seat cover to protect yourself during your journey. The main reason to do it is to stop contamination and cross-contamination. So you could use a carrier bag, newspaper or even a jacket as long as you only use it once during your journey.
Plastic Gloves & Spare Face Mask
Pack enough for yourself and others. Plastic gloves only serve as an extra protective barrier as you go from place to place. So it’s still in your best interest to change your gloves whenever possible or at least use hand sanitiser on the gloves wherever possible.
I found some cheap latex gloves in Wilko, £2 for a pack of thirty. Which are a bit of a godsend?
The same goes with Face Masks. I’m a massive fan of the fabric masks for sustainability reasons, but they’re expensive and require frequent washing.
There are loads of different rumours floating about on the correct way to keep fabric face masks clean; I’ve gone with the method of washing after every use and changing the cover if it’s damp from heat. So if you’re going on a long journey its best to pack a few spare face masks, I also found that a lot of people forget to bring them out so as least you can give them to strangers.