Victoria Stassi, who prefers to be called Vicci, is 25 years old and lives with her partner and 1-year-old miniature toy poodle in Shifnal, Shropshire.
On the weekdays, Vicci mostly spent her days commuting to and from Birmingham where she works as a paralegal, and her weekends consisting of walks in the countryside.
However, this all came to a halt in March 2020, when the government announced a nationwide lockdown and Vicci was informed that she would have to shield.
“I got the letter telling me that I would have to shield around mid-march. It was before the lockdown was announced. Because of my condition, I had already guessed that I would have to shield.”
Vicci is considered clinically vulnerable due to being diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Lupus at an early age.
Lupus, with the official name of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a long-term health condition that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the tissues and organs.
Instead of her usual hour and a half commute, Vicci had to adapt to her temporary life of working from the comfort of her own home. Those she worked with joked about how “at least the commute is a lot better”, which was most likely a common thought among much of the population in the UK.
According to the latest data released by ONS, it shows that in April 2020, 46.6% of people in employment did some work at home and of those that did work from home, 86% did due to coronavirus pandemic.
With a new morning routine of waking up, eating breakfast and walking to her study, Vicci was ready and at work in a record time of 10 minutes. A morning routine that is still continuing.
Although, unlike those she worked with, Vicci wasn’t able to leave the comfort of her home at all whilst following shielding advice.
Weekly data from NHS Digital shows that over 2 million patients in England were in the same situation as Vicci and were having to shield, with 367,019 patients being recorded as having a rare genetic metabolic and autoimmune disease by GPs and hospital doctors.
The Midlands had the highest number of patients with rare genetic metabolic and autoimmune diseases with 18.4% of the total number of patients in England.
Despite having to shield, Vicci spoke highly of the support she and her partner received, from the letters to the weekly food parcels.
“I received letters every couple of months or so from the NHS and the government, updating me on the situation. The last one I received told me that I would need to shield until the 1 August.
“The food parcels we received were incredibly useful too. I couldn’t go to supermarkets, nor could my partner because he was shielding as well to keep me safe. I feel like the support we were given at the beginning was really helpful.”
However, despite all of the support and help that was given, Vicci’s wellbeing and mental health started to deteriorate from working at home and not being able to see anybody in her family.
“Working from home was a lot more intense than I thought it would be. Because of the shielding, not being able to go outside anywhere for months or see anybody other than people in your household, it got a bit much. I felt trapped in my own home.”
The latest data released by ONS shows that the percentage of adults that say their wellbeing is affected by COVID-19 has increased to 41% compared to the previous week. 56% of those reported feeling stressed or anxious.
As well as having to continue as “all systems go” at work, Vicci also worried about her mother who worked on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic:
“My mum, who normally works in an eye clinic in Sheffield, had to work on the COVID wards. She has been given the all-clear to go back to her normal job now, but whilst she was working on the frontline of the pandemic, it was stressful.
“It’s possible that I won’t be able to see my mum properly until June 2021 because of me having to shield and her working directly with patients who had the coronavirus.”
Vicci and her partner are still continuing to take extra precautions despite having little guidance from the Government about what to do after lockdown restrictions were lifted 1st August.
“The last update was to shield until the 1st August, and since then it has just been listening to the news and left to our own devices. They were really good at the start but they could have given those who were shielding more guidance on what to do.
“What are we supposed to do after lockdown restrictions are lifted? Do we stop shielding? For most people, it is common sense but for others, it might not be. They probably will want the reassurance which we haven’t had.”
Recent government advice says that those who were shielding do not need to currently because “the rates of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the community have fallen significantly”.
Although Vicci and her partner call themselves “homebodies” and didn’t leave the house much prior to shielding, they have continued to use the food delivery services or utilise the click and collect feature at supermarkets.
She said: “We only go to the shops just to get out of the house I think because it had been around 6 months since we left the house.
“If we had gone to the odd shop, it’s been with a mask and we will wear them from when we get out of the car until we get back in. We are being extra careful.”
With needing to wear a mask to protect herself, Vicci spoke about those who are protesting against wearing a mask.
“I don’t really understand it. The advice is to wear a mask to reduce your exposure. I don’t understand why people aren’t happy to do that?
“I think it’s incredibly selfish that people will not only refuse to wear masks but also protest against wearing one. I think it’s ridiculous. There are a lot of people who, through no fault of their own, have reduced immune systems, or by age, just certain situations that make it a lot easier to contract COVID and we can’t do anything about that.
In Birmingham city centre on August 15, there was a large crowd of unmasked protesters who were demonstrating against wearing facemasks during the pandemic.
Say no to masks Birmingham protest live pic.twitter.com/V5J0LOWPuU
— Chez (@chezzy8080) August 15, 2020
Similar protests have been occurring throughout the world, including Spain and the United States.
“Obviously we can protect ourselves and shield as much as we can but then if other people aren't doing the same, it makes it a lot more difficult to sustain that and keep safe.”
With disinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, an article by Vox highlights how many “anti-maskers” in the US believe that the enforcement of wearing a mask takes freedom and liberties away, among other reasons.
Whilst still having to work from home and be cautious when outside, Vicci believes it is going to be a long time until she feels comfortable outside again.
“I would love everything to return to normal now, but I think it will be at least a good six months, just to be safe. From a work perspective, working from home worked smoothly so I don’t think they will be rushing to get people in the office.
“I think it will be the new year when things get back to normal, or until I will feel comfortable that things are getting back to normal.”