As the United Kingdom continues to see the spread of the COVID 19 virus & the British Government take drastic measures to break the chain of infection; we are now living in unprecedented times.
Schools have been closed to all but keyworker children, hospitals are becoming overwhelmed, building sites have been shut down & as of Monday 23rd March 2020; the UK Government have ordered that all but essential travel either by keyworkers or those who cannot work from home must cease.
The self-employed sector have been very concerned as people on zero hours contracts have been let go & until Monday 23rd March the only help seemed to be the ability for the self-employed or freelancers to claim SSP.
However, with the Coronavirus Bill having been pushed through Parliament late on Monday 23rd March, the following has now been released:
(1) The Secretary of State must, by regulations, introduce a scheme of Statutory Self-
Employment Pay.
(2) The scheme must make provision for payments to be made out of public funds to
individuals who are
(a) self-employed, or
(b) freelancers.
(3) The payments to be made in subsection (2) are to be set so that the net monthly
earnings of an individual specified in subsection (2) do not fall below—
(i) 80 per cent of their monthly net earnings, averaged over the last three
years, or
(ii) £2,917
whichever is lower.
(4) No payment to be made under subsection (2) shall exceed £2,917 per month.
(5) A statutory instrument containing regulations under this section is subject to
annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament. (1)
With employers being offered up to 80% of employees salary in the Coronavirus employment Retention scheme, small businesses (under rateable value) being eligible for a £10,000 grant, SME’s being eligible for Government backed, zero % loans, automatic mortgage holidays across the country & so many other measures in place; this is the largest & most unprecedented Government implemented economic & health package in the history of the United Kingdom.
Despite the drastic measures being put in place, there is one thing which is clear; we need to stay indoors, protect the NHS & save lives. This message rings loud & true more than ever & as the country shuts itself away, we are heading into an uncertain time, with no exit strategy or an end date in sight.
However, there is one thing which the United Kingdom has begun doing & that is pulling together. Act’s of kindness across the UK are being reported, showing solidarity in such a challenging time & activities to share with family & friends in isolation are springing up across social media channels.
Therefore, Virtually Smart Ltd would like to support this effort with a selection of activities which can either be enjoyed if you do or do not have a garden, if you are living as a family, as a couple or alone. All activities could be enjoyed with virtual attendees too, using FaceTime, Zoom, Skype or any other online virtual meeting space.
This week, Virtually Smart will focus on activities for those who do not have access to an outside space.
Posters in support of the NHS/keyworkers
Design posters in support of our NHS & keyworkers. Post these online, share amongst friends or stick up in windows so people can see them.
Go camping!
Even if you live in a one bedroom flat, you can have some fun with pretending to go on holiday. You could set up an indoor tent over your bed, or if you have children, a camp-out in another room. Pack a bag of clothes & only wear these during however long you decide to be ‘away’. Make moving from one room to another like visiting a tourist attraction. Take photo’s & maybe even go as far as to create a mini blog about your ‘home holiday’
Write a play about an uplifting & positive subject
You could either do this as a family or couple at home, film & share with family or friends. Or if you are living alone, you could contact a group of friends & write it online together, act it out remotely & have some fun with it.
Design games to be shared
Create a collection of games to amuse families. Games consoles are brilliant for situations where you cannot go outdoors, however they are quite limiting when it comes to creativity.
Therefore., perhaps set challenges every day that as a family, or couple or if you are on your own, you design a games or activity which you can then share with others.
Write a household newspaper
Whether you are home as a family, a couple or on your own; you could start your own newspaper reporting on the activities in your home, about your family & their daily activities. Headlines such as ‘Dad fry’s eggs for breakfast!’ ‘Dora the dog steals sausages!’ ‘Lazy Lawrence sleeps late – AGAIN!’
Go on a ‘carpet picnic’
You don’t need a green space to have a picnic. All you need is a blanket, some sandwiches & a little imagination. If you have a television or access to the internet; you could find a video of a park or filed & play this on a loop while you have your picnic.
Book club
There are two versions of this activity.
You could either set up a more traditional book club whereby you gather a group of friends, suggest a book, read it then gather on FaceTime/Skype, etc to discuss.
Or
If you are in a family unit you could set a writing challenge daily using a different theme, a short story could be produced & then critiqued as a family. For example, you could choose one day to all write a story about Strawberries, while the next day, a boating adventure.
Stage your own Olympics
Using toilet roll middles (there should be enough of them) make your own Olympic Teams & stage your own indoor Olympics. You could film it, load it to YouTube or any other social media channel.
With a little imagination, the possibilities are endless & with a little sharing & kindness; we could create a great collection of resources & memories together.
#BetterTogether
Written by Katy-Jane for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
