There seems to a be real divide in people doing stuff and people horrified at people doing stuff, so I just wanted to share the middle line I'm trying to navigate at the moment. I have become got really really interested in DATA. Woo! Here's what I use...

We're still being super careful but using case data to inform decision-making which has been really helpful. My local authority area, for example, has only had 3 new cases in the last week so we have felt safe to do short outside-type trips.

By looking at https://coronavirus-staging.data.gov.uk/  each day, scrolling down to cases and then 'more on cases' and then finding 'lower tier LA' I can find our local authority's running total.

I make a quick note of it each day so I can notice what the numbers are doing (speeding up/slowing down). It's also making me feel much more confident about making a decision about school in September especially as I know I can keep an eye on what happens once my son goes back.

Another good resource is https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2020/08/where-next-local-lockdown-use-our-tracker-find-out which gives local areas a risk rating/colour. My local area is green with very low risk at the moment so we can make the most of that, but also watch to see if it changes.

I think it's important to remember that, at the moment, risk is VERY different depending on where you live and where you choose to visit. So we can't make blanket judgements about people's behaviour -- what might be risky for one person might be perfectly rational for another.

Obviously, some people AREN'T making good decisions, but that is always going to be true. I can't control them, but using data makes me feel more confident about MY decisions and behaviour, and that's what I can control.

It's also helped me to think about different kinds of risk. I have to remember that there is more than one risk here. Covid is a risk, but poor mental health is also risk, deteriorating relationships are a risk.

Good sense, for me, is about weighing up and addressing ALL these risks and then making the best decisions I can.

Also, I feel it's only fair to say, I STILL GET ANXIOUS! I don't think that's going away, but I do believe data is a better basis for decision-making than anxiety, and this way I can more confidently soothe myself if I feel scared.

I'm also not sure how well this approach would work in big cities where you have lots of movement of people between areas, but it certainly seems to make good sense for our medium-sized town.