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For a Moment, I Felt the Pandemic Took the Life Out of London

A day in a locked-down London was nothing I ever thought I would experience

By Elad SimchayoffPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Me Sitting on the road at the usually very busy Oxford St. Photo: Aviel Lewis

1.

It was supposed to be an assignment like many others. I’ve been a TV journalist for many years, filmed in some of the craziest locations and situations. Never have I thought, when asked to film a day of walking around in the empty streets of locked-down London, that this would be a story that would affect me as much.

I have been living in London for 7 years, moved here from Israel. I remember the initial shock of living in a major, international, city such as London as opposed to a small Israeli town. The droves of people filling the streets, that buzzing sound accompanying every minute of every day. At first, you think you’ll get mad, that there isn’t any chance you can get used to it. You complain constantly but later, somehow, manage to grow indifferent. The crowds, the noise, it all becomes an inseparable part of the city’s life, your life. And then, that one day of walking around, it was all gone.

Victoria Memorial and An empty Buckingham Palace. Photo: Author

2.

The thing that hit me first was how everything seemed so big all of a sudden. The empty square that houses the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace looks and feels 10 times bigger with no people around having to huddle together to catch a glimpse at the changing of the guard. The roads were clear, there was a roaring sound of silence. It felt like I’m in the middle of an apocalyptic movie. Now and then somebody was jogging, an occasional empty bus would pass by, but this was nothing like the London we all know.

In Oxford St., I spoke to Martin, a double-decker bus driver. I asked whether he was afraid to drive dozens of people and catch the disease himself. “A bit”, he answered, “but I miss them, it’s very sad seeing the city this way”. The normally busy shops are all closed, some fashion brands still display their winter collection in the windows although it’s spring and rapidly heading towards summer. In every corner, a sign says “Thank you NHS” (UK’s national health system), and drawings of rainbows appear on houses windows. There is a strange sense of togetherness along with this bleak dark solitude.

A Locked Apple store, Regent St. Photo: Author

3.

In a rare and moving speech, HM Queen Elizabeth comforted the nation and said that “Our streets are not empty, they are filled with the Love and the Care that we have for each other”. Towards the end of my day out in London, I met Pat Allerton, the vicar at St Peter’s church in Notting Hill. After his church was closed down due to the outbreak he rented a bike with a wagon, placed two big speakers in it, and each day rode to a different neighborhood to perform an outdoor short service in various streets. He said a few words, played a hymn and spoke to whoever was interested in sharing some thoughts and feelings. I’m not a religious man, I’m not even Christian but Jewish, and still watching his service, seeing a whole neighborhood bond together each from their doorstep, window, or balcony brought tears to my eyes after a long day of strolling an empty city.

For ten weeks, at 8 pm, every Thursday, millions of British people went out and clapped for the carers. These are the only times during lockdown that the streets were once again full, even if for a moment. It’s a symbolic gesture, one that is easy to cynically shrug off. I know as this was my feeling towards it at the beginning but after that day, witnessing how empty and still everything had become those claps, same as Pat Allerton’s service, sounded to me more and more like life, normal life that is.

Trafalgar Square never seemed so big. Photo: Author

4.

I’ve returned home thinking about all the times I complained about the city, that it is too noisy or too crowded. On that day out I realized that the people, as crowded as they may get, are for a city as the blood that is running through the veins. On that day I realized that the constant buzzing noise is for a city like a heartbeat. And now, the streets of London are slowly filling up again, this wonderful city is coming back to life.

humanity
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About the Creator

Elad Simchayoff

I love writing about what I love. Journalist. Always curious. Israeli born, London based. Father, Husband, and a dog person.

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