Coronavirus takes hold

How quickly things can change. The country is starting to shut down. The University essentially shuts down its campus tomorrow, but will try to keep going through online resources. Schools will also close tomorrow, and sports events are winding down, while we are advised not to go to pubs, cinemas and restaurants. Overseas holidays are done for now, and the cruise business may struggle to recover as some of the larger ships have turned into mobile disease incubators. And for us, we are in self-declared isolation, as one of our friends just may have been infected when Helen saw her at the weekend, and my aged mother routine of shopping, teas with friends and family, has come to a crashing halt.

And yet. Our neighbours in our tiny part of north Leeds have set up a WhatsApp group, and are collecting prescriptions on our behalf. While the big supermarkets are struggling to keep us supplied, more local companies are stepping up. Our dairy produce is being delivered from a farm just a few miles to the north. One of our local cafes is providing a general grocery delivery service, as the cafe business goes on hold. The food shortages in our local shops now extend to flour and veg, as the opportunity for more home cooking presents itself.

Are these tentative steps towards the more local, sustainable, community-based food system that we've been talking about?