32380: Lockdown at Lincoln
Lockdown at Lincoln So, what changed for Lincoln porters? Lots. When it all kicked off no-one knew how restrictive movement would be. It was decided that three of us would move into student accommodation, each of us in a separate, empty staircase. That would ensure we had no difficulty getting into work, and covering for colleagues unable to work.
It was great to be able to get to work within minutes, and living off High Street meant that you were able to see how the lockdown affected the commercial and tourist heart of the city. At first I enjoyed the peace and quiet, and the cleaner air with hardly any traffic. Once I was the only person on High Street; on another occasion I seemed to have Christ Church Meadow all to myself. It was also good to explore the city without hordes of tourists clogging up the pavements
The week leading up to closure was surreal and no-one really knew what to expect. The empty streets were depressing, and it was worrying to see supermarkets with lots of empty shelves. There was a lot of palpable anxiety around; people were very concerned about a potential killer they could not see; it was as if the dystopian nightmares of fiction had become reality. This was particularly the case when a colleague contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalised.
From being a veritable hive of activity, the College was suddenly empty and it was depressing to see such a fine medieval building and excellent centre of learning become somewhat redundant. Indeed, it was possible to go through an entire shift without interacting with anyone. On a physical level weeds proliferated and the creeper covered the Hall's windows. A lodge is a busy place during the day, so it was surreal to do so little.
Around one hundred students were still in residence at various sites, most unable to get home. Some were self-isolating so we had to attend to their needs. We also had to ensure the security of one of Oxford's oldest and best preserved colleges. The first person in Oxford to get Corvid-19 was a Lincoln student, so we were all probably aware of how much things were to change before others.
The porters' role changed in that we had to lift the spirits of those students unable to leave; and ensure the Lodge and immediate public areas were regularly sanitised. We also had to ensure those self-isolating were getting fed and in as fine a fettle as could be in the circumstances. One thing that didn't change is the amount of criminality we have had to deal with, either in the College itself or adjoining properties.
In spring the city would be thronged with the first wave of foreign language students. Their numbers and noise irritated me so it was good to have some respite. As the days passed and the novelty wore off, I suddenly realised that all the assumed benefits were reminders that we were facing a veritable existential crisis that the peace and quiet accentuated.
The normality that returns will never be the same, and nor would we expect it to be. We want to keep the cleaner air, and less congested roads. But I want the foreign language students to return, and all our other visitors, and they can be as noisy as they like.
