More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Had it all been a dream? After three months in lockdown, non essential shops reopened their doors on a sunny Monday morning as if opening their eyes after a long sleep, and towards them, blinking in the sunlight, stumbled the shoppers, fresh out of bed.
It was almost as if nothing had ever changed, and as several said in Dartford and Gravesend, it was "good to return to normality."
Except of course it had changed. With coronavirus sweeping the country, the last three months for town centre businesses has been not so much a prolonged period of sleep as one of full on hibernation though an economic winter - which logically made this sunny Monday morning the first day of spring.
The buzz was palpable, and Gravesend the biggest honey pot was Primark, with a queue stretching around the corner from New Road to Princes Street that made it look almost like the most popular nightclub in Kent. Security guards offering safety advice to folk on their way in only enforced the image, while the police briefly parked up to observe proceedings.
On the corner of the street opposite, a young woman laughed as she gave a chap her Instagram details. No, this was not a normal Monday morning. And if it offers a glimpse of what the atmosphere might be like when venues like nightclubs do reopen, let it serve as a warning.
But was this sense of summer giddiness not a little bit premature?
Standing to one side in Dartford High Street, an older gentleman was certainly not about to start fraternising with the younger hordes. Mask done up tight, he muttered about how the busy scenes didn't quite make sense if you considered Dartford had the highest coronavirus death rate in Kent, and that he'd heard about gangs using masks as a good disguise when robbing people. "We're definitely in for another spike" muttered another.
"But don't forget. Please keep your distance. Maintain Social Distancing. All Day."
It didn't quite tally with the sunny atmosphere, and these two sage observers weren't the only jolting reminder of the lurking threat of Covid-19.
Face masks and warning signs were everywhere, in stark contrast to the sun and optimistic buzz.
The hand sanitiser stations were manned by the friendly faces of council officers, and the billboards welcomed people back with colourful writing declaring "HELLO DARTFORD! IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN" - but just beneath that salutation, in smaller black letters those same billboards added: "But don't forget. Please keep your distance. Maintain Social Distancing. All Day."
Which is hardly the warmest welcome to a party.
Dartford Council leader Jeremy Kite was due in the town later that day, while in Gravesend the mayor of Gravesham Cllr John Caller was out and about with shoppers, and no doubt similar scenes were repeated around the country as dignitaries joined the happy throngs.
Their presence might have inspired confidence in many, but then again horror film fans will recall how Larry Vaughn, mayor of Amity, also joined the happy hordes in one scene as he encouraged people back to the beaches... in Jaws.
It was sunny then too and even people who haven't seen the film can guess what happened next.
