one problem with lockdown easing is that you'll see a rush of people heading to pubs, restaurants, public spaces, which will leave people feeling nervous about going outside feeling even more scared and retreating into further isolation

I wrote about this a little in this article. Just stopping the 'stay home' message doesn't magically erase the fear that's been built up over the last few months. https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/29/how-coronavirus-pandemic-told-stay-home-stay-alert-trigger-crisis-agoraphobia-12771650/

I think we're going to see a greater divide between the people who are terrified of leaving their house and those who perhaps weren't 'following the rules' before now being more blatant, going out, not following social distancing guidelines

and the problem for the people who are scared and anxious is that if they *do* feel brave enough to go out, they're likely to be confronted with bigger crowds and people not observing guidelines, which will just reinforce those existing worries

I'm not sure what the solution for that is. I personally would have liked to see the easing of lockdown being far slower and more gradual, and greater reassurances that safety is still key and measures will be taken to ensure it

anyway, not sure what we can do now other than...
- respect friends who aren't ready to meet up yet
- consider those who are shielding and high risk and who can't join in on the rejoicing around pubs reopening
- continue to observe lockdown measures where you can