Column: Lockdown has turned the equality gap into a deep canyon

The full impact of coronavirus is only starting to become apparent. The inequality gap is about to become as deep and wide as a canyon.

As businesses collapse and jobs are lost, I fear many people will find themselves exposed to the ‘other’ side for the very first time, and the fall-out could be horrendous.

More and more stories are emerging of people’s circumstances changing almost overnight, abandoning them in a frightening world of debt, fear and uncertainty.

They used to say were all two pay days away from a foodbank. I suspect that figure is now dangerously close to zero.

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The impact of office workers staying at home – many for the foreseeable future, some never to return – is now resonating far beyond the floor they were based on.

It’s hammering the sandwich shops, cafes and take-aways which once relied on their custom.

It’s directly affecting the people who sorted the mail, manned reception desks, provided security and maintenance – roles which have become redundant as the doors remain closed – and that in turn has left factors and owners staring at buildings which are now worthless, and so, in turn, they look to their staff and start cutting jobs. A circle of closures and cutbacks begins to spin …

The hospitality trade is also unbelievably vulnerable as people hesitate to step back into pubs and restaurants, while nightclubs have next to no chance of re-opening any time soon. More jobs will simply wither.

Live music venues, theatres, gyms, and leisure centres all remain shuttered, and stacked as precariously as any Jenga tower. When one topples, the rest may go with them. Mass unemployment is a very real, distressing prospect.

We’re looking at life-changing circumstances for all, and the dividing line between those who have, and those who are left with nothing will be more marked than ever.

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And for people who have worked their entire lives, the crash landing into a world of Job Centres and Universal Credit is going to leave deep scars.

In times of turbulence, we need an anchor – something that stays constant while the storm rages.

For many, that can be their job. It offers them routine and structure, as well as a pay cheque. It gives them a purpose, and a reason to get up in the morning. It may also be the only time they actually interact with other people – loneliness is a very real, and growing issue.

A change this seismic brings with it a host of problems for society, not to mention the potentially devastating impact it will have on people’s mental health.The notion of a ‘job for life’ is over. It has been for decades. My generation probably caught the tail end of it and we’re now nudging towards retirement.

Now, we all face a new, difficult challenge to simply stay afloat. Those who can adapt will move quicker out of lockdown than many who will suddenly find their landsape has become very unfamiliar overnight – and that sense of alienation, of being lost, is concerning.

The human cost of these hellish last few months may never be fully calculated.

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspapers - the Fife Free Press, Fife Herald, St Andrews Citizen and East Fife Mail.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Allan Crow, Editor, Fife Free Press