A Perthshire woman has told of how she “breathed a sigh of relief” when she was told to keep shielding.
Elizabeth Quigley, who has secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, also revealed her fears at the prospect of entering the outside world once more when a halt is called to shielding in Scotland.
The treatment for journalist Elizabeth’s condition puts her in the high risk category of becoming seriously ill with coronavirus.
She has been at home since April 5, but is now preparing to end her isolation.
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Writing for the BBC, Elizabeth, whose husband is Perthshire North MSP John Swinney, said: “As lockdown started to be eased, I listened carefully to every announcement of the world starting to slowly open up.
“And I added silently to myself ‘but not for me, not for me’. ‘And that’s fine,’ I said.
“When it was announced that shielding was being extended until the end of July, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I was not at all worried about being told to continue to stay at home.
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“I was terrified about the world opening up and being expected to join it but that is exactly what is happening now.
“I’m sure many people who have been shielding are desperate to restart their lives.
“But I cannot be the only one who is more than a little apprehensive.”
Speaking of the moment it was confirmed she was in the high risk category, Elizabeth added: “Everything changed for me on April 5 when I received a letter from the NHS and, along with about 180,000 others in Scotland, I had to get used to a new word: shielding.
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“When the pandemic hit, the advice to shielders was to stay at home at all times and, even within the house, I was told to keep two metres away from my son and my husband.
“I was advised to pack a bag in case I caught coronavirus and needed to go into hospital.
“These were all sensible precautions but they were terrifying prospects when spelled out in black and white on official paper.
“Like many others, the new routine offered fresh challenges, such as home-schooling, which came with extra challenges while shielding.”
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Elizabeth also spoke about home schooling her nine-year-old son, Matthew, saying: “The route map to get the whole country safely out of lockdown was being worked on from a desk in the hall - while Matthew and I were in the living room next door concentrating on grammar and times tables. Or trying to.
“With dad so close, it was too tempting for Matthew to ask for his help or show him his latest artistic endeavour.”
She added: “When there was a UK or Scottish government video call about to take place, Matthew was warned not to walk through the hallway. But the warning did not always work.
“‘So that’s what Boris Johnson looks like’,” Matthew said as he tiptoed back from some spurious excuse to get a snack from the kitchen.
“Oh and I had to cancel one of his weekly virtual drumming lessons.
“It was going to clash with the Scottish Cabinet discussion on coronavirus and I thought the background noise might just have been a bit too much for Nicola Sturgeon to deal with.”
