Two young men on a path

I have to admit I got quite excited when I heard on the radio this morning (BBC Radio 4) that the anti-coronavirus vaccination programme is going so well that the first cohort of over-65s may get their invitations to be vaccinated as soon as next week. Yippee! That will be me!

Of course, I am taking that tasty bit of good news with a big pinch of salt. They may be talking about those parts of the country where the programme has got well ahead, and not my part. Even so, that letter may come through my front door sometime in the next three weeks, and it will be most welcome when it arrives. I will happily drive a hundred miles, if need be, to get the first of those vital jabs. 

I really wonder why you still hear about people who intend to refuse vaccination. Why? Why would you place yourself at risk of catching an infection with possibly dire consequences? Or if your job is (say) to look after vulnerable patients in care homes? 

I suppose there might be some who can't, on good medical grounds, have the vaccination. But the rest? 

Now that there are several vaccines available, originating in more than one country, and produced by commercial companies not regimes, the theory that it's all part of some US or British government population-control plot seems absurd. And although all these vaccines are the product of just a few months development, they build on long-existing coronavirus research and have been tested on mass population samples: years of testing condensed into a few months. I'm content to risk suffering from some long-term effect, one yet not apparent, in order to have a high degree of safety in the present. If I catch the virus now, in early 2021, I may suffer so badly that I am never the same again. Or I could die. In either case, not getting vaccinated is going to be worse than any likely after-effect. The rational course is clear. 

Meanwhile, it becomes even more essential to take care, and avoid all circumstances in which I could get infected. It would be galling - and potentially tragic - to become infected when so close to vaccination.

But many people I encounter when out and about seem intent on harming me. They are all strangers. They are people who seem oblivious to the ongoing need to practice social distancing. 

You would have thought that after almost of year living with the virus, everyone would know the right thing to do. But no. There are idiots aplenty around who plainly do not know. If I take a walk in any urban area (just now, wet but firm town pavements are preferable to sticky mud on country footpaths) I have to be on my guard against a range of other people who clearly don't care about protecting an obviously older person, who are not going to inconvenience themselves in any way whatever. Family groups coming towards me are the worst. They force me off the pavement and into the road, where I might be hit by a cyclist or a car. The same with a group of teenagers. 

In general, only people on their own show any concern where social distancing is concerned. Some of them do step aside for me. If they do, I make sure to thank them. I am truly grateful. 

Joggers continue to be a hazard. They run fast along the pavement, some of them breathing heavily, spreading whatever infection they may have. I can avoid the ones coming towards me by stepping into the road. But the ones that come up from behind are past me and gone before I can do anything about it. I usually find myself freezing in terror as they pass. An over-reaction? Well, I don't think so. 

It seems to be a thing with jogging that you must never slacken your pace, not for anything. So joggers won't stop to let anyone get by. They clearly think their need to move at an even pace trumps your safety. If you can't get out of their way, they might conceivably barge into you.  

The most considerate joggers are female - they do tend to pass at a safe distance, if necessary by running into the road. For which I thank them. 

Male joggers on the other hand, especially those in their teens or twenties, invariably behave like unstoppable juggernauts. What arrogance! I do not accept that jogging is important, and overrides courtesy and consideration for another person's welfare and peace of mind. A pair of men with a young-professional look to them forced me into the road only yesterday. I gave them a hard stare as they came towards me, and made it quite clear that I was taking evasive action against my will. They took no notice. Bastards.

Ordinary male pedestrians, especially young men, can be just as crass. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was taking my daily exercise walk in Lewes, and at one point found myself on the riverside path between the Tesco superstore and the Phoenix Causeway river bridge. The path is about six feet wide here. On one side, a hedge. On the other, a grassy slope down to the river's edge. 

Two young men were walking towards me. They saw me all right, but made not the slightest move to walk in single file on one side of the path. When they were only a few yards away, and still walking side by side, I had to make a quick decision. I suppose I could have retreated ten yards, and let them pass at a wider point on that path. But it seemed more reasonable to cut off to one side, down that grassy slope. So I did. But it was slippery, and I fell onto my bottom, getting muddy hands and boots. 

The two young men had stopped, astonished. I got up - thankfully uninjured - and climbed up to the path again. As I did so, one of the young men offered his hand to haul me up. What? Was he completely crazy? I said to him, 'You keep your distance! I can manage.' He seemed hurt. 'Only trying to help, love,' he said. 'Well, I wish you had stepped to one side on the path, and let me pass safely,' I snapped back. 

No doubt he and his friend, now walking away, were agreeing that older people were daft, bad-tempered and ungrateful. And would then wipe the incident from their minds. I felt a bit empty, momentarily willing to think that there was no point bothering with anything. If, after so many months, young men like this remained unconcerned and unaware about social distancing - to the extent of actually risking hand-to-hand contact - what could be done? The government messages, the news of infections and deaths - none of it had sunk in. Perhaps they laughed at those things. Perhaps they preferred to look cool above all else. No wonder the number of infections remained stubbornly high. There was a rump of stupid people who were ignorant of the risks, or chose to ignore them. 

And I felt, in a sense, personally assaulted. They had made me feel afraid enough to slither down a slope rather than squeeze between them. Couldn't they see how frightening they had appeared to anybody who felt vulnerable? Why hadn't they automatically signalled that they recognised the need for social distancing, and were immediately taking clear and obvious steps to make our passing encounter a safe one?  

Well, I don't want to regard all young men as arrogant fools or pig-ignorant twits. But experiences like this certainly push me down that path. 

And this was in a small, pleasant town in Sussex, that has hitherto seemed a safe place for a walk. What can it be like in a big city, teeming with people one can't avoid so easily?