As tensions rise between northern mayors and the government over local lockdown measures in place in major cities across the north of England, fears that coronavirus could exacerbate the north-south divide are growing.
For some families, the distinction between the local lockdowns in the north and the more relaxed measures in the south is particularly acute.
Helen Mason, 32, lives in the north-east under local lockdown restrictions, while her parents live in south Devon, which has no additional measures. Mason said while she understood the need for local restrictions, discrepancies between different areas were difficult to swallow. She has two young children and said being unable to see friends and family had left her feeling isolated.
“The prospect of a national lockdown is hard, because [the south’s] cases are so low, and I’d be gutted if I lived there and went into what we have,” she said. “But it is hard when you can see people mainly living their normal life, and we’re not even allowed to see a friend. I think there’s quite a bit of resentment, and I know many people who are suspicious as to why things aren’t happening in London.”
Many mayors of northern cities have long called for greater information and inclusion in the decision-making behind the local lockdowns. At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, described how “local communities are angry and frustrated” and called for Boris Johnson to explain the reasons behind the restrictions.
“It would definitely be easier if we had more information about why we’re in local lockdowns, and where the increases in cases are coming from,” said Mason. “It’s like we’re being treated as naughty children, being told what we need to do, but not really why.”
Her father, Brian Marshall, 63, said: “What’s really hard is that the kids are so young, and changing so quickly.” Though he sympathised with his daughter about the difficulty of local restrictions, he thought a national lockdown would be “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut”.
“We have to keep those parts of the economy we can going,” he said.
Rachel Turner, 22, is a medical student living in Bristol who works in a hospital in Gloucester. Her mother, Laura, works in Liverpool and lives in Manchester, where rates of infection are about 10 times higher than her daughter’s home. Manchester has been under local lockdown measures since the end of July, whereas Bristol has not been subject to any additional restrictions.
“Given what we’re told of the rates of the virus, I understand that we have to have greater restrictions,” Laura, 55, said. “But for lots of people, the measures are hard to fathom. For more than two months we’ve not been able to have anyone over, even in gardens, if you’re lucky enough to have one. Things like that feel anomalous.
“There’s definitely a feeling of being left out of the loop. It seems astonishing and worrying that mayors like Andy Burnham don’t seem to be fully involved and consulted, and there is a worry that politics are at play because these are predominantly Labour councils. To me, the only thing that should be driving this is health and safety.”
Laura said while she felt there was a north-south divide, she did not think a national lockdown provided the answer, but felt it did create confusion.
“I don’t begrudge Rachel her freedoms, but it does feel strange that we’re living our lives in very different ways,” she said.
In Bristol, Laura’s daughter said she felt “quite guilty” about the discrepancy between their lifestyles.
“I call my mum quite a lot, and I’m telling her how I’ve been round to my friend’s house for dinner, and she can’t do any of that,” she said. “There are definitely times I play it down if I’ve had a super-lovely weekend.
“It does feel strange having that north-south divide. There’s no ocean between us, but in terms of government restrictions it feels like there’s such a different dynamic.”
Josh, 37, who did not want to give his surname, and his mother, Mary, are also divided between the local lockdown in Manchester and the more relaxed measures in the south of England. Like Laura and Rachel, they said the measures were deeply confusing.
“There’s a part of me which recognises that [the government] needs to try to keep the economy going, but some things they’ve done don’t make any sense,” said Mary, 65. “We can’t go and visit my partner’s brother in Sale in his garden, but if he wanted to he could go play badminton in the leisure centre without a mask.
“It feels like you can go anywhere as long as it’s by a till.”
Josh said he understood the feeling of resentment some northerners were experiencing, suggesting a lack of trust between many living in local lockdowns and the government in Westminster.
“When I lived in Manchester, I thought southerners got treated differently. There’s always a bit of that when you’re up north,” he said. “My dad is recording the coronavirus cases and keen to keep an eye on what the government is doing.”
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