If the aliens have been monitoring us, they must be wondering what affliction has befallen the Earth. The women finish an exercise class in a field. They get into their cars and pour copious amounts of a substance on their hands. They rub them vigorously.

Then they move away passing through a quiet village. There, the people are walking several metres apart. Some have their faces covered. They must be the sick ones. They shy away from each other.

Women have gone alone to hospitals to have babies. There were lots of tears

These humans have changed their social behaviours completely. What will happen the humans as a result of this? It must be a plague.

Over 18 months the face-covering habit has spread like a virus and, bizarrely, the humans have stopped touching and families eat alone. They have stayed away from each other too.

Women have gone alone to hospitals to have babies. There were lots of tears. Little babies were born but not allowed near other little babies. These little humans are used to seeing only half a face. The elders were isolated. Many died. Some could not endure the loneliness and what started out as mild and manageable dementia quickly became severe confusion in their world that has turned upside down.

The whole thing is bizarre; the televisions and radio stations talk of nothing else

The humans being resourceful seem to have adapted to keep the plague away. Mass vaccination centres have sprung up. They queue in silence and step forward from yellow line to yellow line. They shed their jackets on command and proffer their arms for piercing. They wait for 15 minutes and then leave clutching a little card with details. Maybe they smile. Smiles are no longer visible behind masks. The whole thing is bizarre; the televisions and radio stations talk of nothing else.

The young ones don’t go to college instead they are staring at devices of all shapes and sizes. Humans used to pray a lot together – that too has changed. They don’t use planes anymore. The aliens decide that they won’t be landing there anytime soon.

A setback

That new scenario continues to be our reality. The stalling in the reopening of indoor dining has come as a body blow to people looking forward to finally meeting up with friends. It is hard to swallow this latest setback. It is a nightmare for the hospitality industry.

The English cousins wonder if they will be able to cross the water

My son Philip and his fiancé Aileen are due to get married in a few weeks from now. The cousins want to know if they can attend. The English cousins wonder if they will be able to cross the water. At the moment, three who are vaccinated would have to quarantine for five days and the two teenagers who are not vaccinated would have to quarantine for 10 days. Their holiday wouldn’t even last that long.

There are so many questions with few answers for people planning weddings. Can a hen party go ahead? Will a stag party happen? Plans are once again thrown into disarray. It is really tough on young people who have postponed their weddings not once but twice and three times. It should be the most important event in their lives. Instead the day is marred with uncertainty and a mask was never a part of the wedding attire.

It is unfortunate that those that received the first AstraZeneca vaccine are still waiting and less protected than we should be

The modelling of numbers and the predictions that follow have become very boring statistics. This time last year, cases were in single digits. It is hard to be positive with the new Delta wave gathering momentum. I am the only one in our house not fully vaccinated. I heard Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly tell Pat Kenny on the radio that all the 60 to 69 year olds will be vaccinated by 19 July. I hope he’s right. It is unfortunate that those that received the first AstraZeneca vaccine are still waiting and less protected than we should be with the Delta strain circulating. I rang the HSE yesterday to ask if I’d been missed as I was only two days after my husband Tim for the first dose. The man told me that his was a random call and that I would get it in 12 weeks! That’s 1 August! The wait continues.

I find myself feeling a little fed up with it all and then I give myself a little pep talk. Vaccination is the end game and we must stay positive until everyone is protected.