Since Monday we have been “bombed” with images we haven’t seen for almost a year and a half: people, together, without masks, having fun. So it was the first (almost) unrestricted day in the UK. Discos have opened and the mask is not mandatory, the responsibility, this one, was passed on to every Brit.
To tell us something about this new freedom, we chatted with Bernardo Barbosa, born in Paranhos, but with a connection to Baio, who told us about this new reality and also what caused him to emigrate. Had to do
“I came to live in Manchester after completing my master’s degree in biology and water quality management at the University of Porto’s Faculty of Science. This was a challenge for my mother, who already lived here, and in her English In search of improvement and in desire for a better life and with a better job offer, I decided to take a risk., began by explaining.
He migrated in January 2017 and is currently the manager of a restaurant with a bar. After three years of emigration, the pandemic knocked at their door, as did almost everyone else. “It has been a difficult time for those who cannot see their families, for those who are in a different country. I haven’t seen my brother since the start of the pandemic, because it was not appropriate to go to other countries in the UK., He remembered.
However, after a year and a half of uncertainty, the British government decided to lift most of the restrictions keeping in mind the progress of vaccination in the country. “The news was received with some trepidation. They considered it as ‘Independence Day’, but at the same time the cases kept rising.”, Said.
There is a need to be careful and we need to convince ourselves that it is not over yet.
Despite being currently on leave, Bernardo Barbosa says the rules are followed at the place he works. “We have to wear masks, respect social distancing and avoid overcrowding at the spa”, he explained, not forgetting the disinfection of spaces. For the vaccine, the Portuguese are already immunized, with “Two Doses of AstraZeneca” and believes to be protected. “Now it will be like the flu, the vaccine is a way for us to be safer”, Said.
With regard to the lifting of the measures, Bernardo Barbosa argues that “The foot is taking a step bigger than it is supposed to”, given that the economy was moving at a good pace. “People were slowly gaining confidence and now they have opened up. It looks like we are back to normal and the virus is no longer present.”, met.
Though he believes that the attitude of the people on ‘Independence Day’ was expected. “The whole world is in captivity, deprived of doing what they love most, deprived of being with family and friends and having fun. We have to think that England is a country where it rains for most of the year, where people have lost lifestyles, depression and the need to go out and drink. Government took a risky decision, Agreed.
In my opinion the youth should be vaccinated first and then yes, they should start losing faith in using masks in closed spaces.
Bernardo Barbosa, who will travel to Portugal again in 2022, hopes to return definitively within two years. “The goal is to open a hotel business. Portugal is a beautiful country, a nice place to live, it’s just a pity the economic situation in which it finds itself “, concluded.
