Breathing heavily, Janet Parsons crouched in the bushes, face smeared with camouflage paint. So far so good. She’d got this far without being spotted.
The walkie talkie strapped to her body armour crackled into life.
“This is Central Control to Indie Living …. [szzz]… confirm your status…”
Janet thumbed the reply button.
“Indie Living here… I’m in position. Awaiting instructions.”
“[Szzz]… What can you see, Indie Living?”
Janet bobbed her head through the leaves and quickly reconnoitred.
“There are some people in the garden. Separate benches. Looking good. I can see through the Communal Lounge windows… there are people in there…. It looks like… yes, they’re having a cup of coffee… one of them is… I think he’s doing a jigsaw… ”
“Are they Social Distancing, Indie Living?”
Unconsciously, Janet shook her head as she replied.
“Doesn’t look like it, Control… it looks bad… could be dangerous in there… what do you want me to do?” Janet realised she was sweating and wiped a strand of hair from her forehead. She sank on her haunches behind the bush. There was a pause. She imagined the tense discussion in the Central Control room.
The walkie talkie burst back into life.
“OK, Indie Living… it’s a ‘go’ for re Remobilisation…. [szzz]… Repeat, a ‘go’ for Remobilisation. Good luck… we’re all rooting for you… your husband says to tell you he loves you…”
This was it. Heart thumping, Janet adjusted her face-covering, then broke cover and sprinted towards the scheme entrance doors, hand sanitiser clenched in her fist…
………………………………………………………………………………….
OK, so getting sheltered and other older people’s housing schemes reopened may not be quite so dramatic. But it does feel like a bit of a military operation. Part of the difficulty is deciding which bits of the current Government guidance are relevant to our lounges and communal spaces. Is it the bit that says community centres can reopen? Or the bit that says no more than two households should meet indoors? The latest Government guidance on the ‘rule of six’ may make you want to push the ‘pause’ button, as we’ve done at Optivo. You’ll have to make your own judgement on that. Until the new guidance, many erosh members were reopening lounges where they could do it safely. Erosh has just published a briefing Re-opening’ sheltered & retirement housing schemes which will help you work through all the considerations. If you can, join one of erosh’s Zoom network meetings to find out what others are doing. However you go about it, good luck and stay safe!