"And I think it's gonna be a long,long time ...

...if ever for things to get back as they were.

When will we able to take a jet plane, or a cruise liner to some exotic location. This is of concern for me as next July 2021 I'm booked to go on a small boat to Franz Josef Land. Getting there I'm currently booked to fly to Kirkenes, then board the boat and hop over the border for a day trip in Murmansk.

If we have a vaccine by then things might be quite straight forward except we don't have one and it might take a while for it to be produced on an industrial scale. How many people will want to go to foreign climes and how many of those delightful places will want to risk importing the bug. This may mean it'll take quite some time for the travel business to get back to some semblance of order.

We're in a rush to reopen our economies - which is quite understandable. Too long a lock down and there won't be much left to re-open: yet boy it's a risk. That's possibly why our Government is waiting to see what happens with the re-opening experiments taking place all over Europe. All that's needed to completely screw us is a second wave of infection. That'll happen if we reopen too soon - say under pressure allowing large meetings to take place, churches to reopen, shopping malls to swing open their doors to an eager public.

Except we might not be that eager to risk infection so maybe we'll stay at home and order on line. Great for Amazon and those companies with a decent online offer; others may still have empty stalls even after the lock down is lifted.

Planning to go to the cinema or the theatre? Forget it for the near and the not so near future. Try managing social distancing in any of the many London theatres: it would be a logistical nightmare. What would be the point of going to a pub or restaurant if in intimacy that is so much of the attraction in those places isn't there. Would you wear a mask or have a plastic sheet between you and the next table?

And getting there. How do you operate social distancing on the London Underground -wear a mask. Not sure too many will take that risk shoulder to shoulder. Possibly staggering journeys to the office or a major shopping High Streets? Possibly?

No, it's gonna be a long, long time. I hear Elon Musk is offering one way trips to Mars later this year. The way things are going there'll probably be more life on Mars than here for a quite a while.