Lockdown, shielding and me

Lockdown 2.0 has begun, but as we all get used to staying in again, some of us have to be extra careful. Richie and Shahlaa are chatting to people who spent the first lockdown shielding because they’re at a higher risk if they catch Covid.

What was it like staying indoors for nearly five whole months? How did they cope? How are they feeling as we head into winter? We get some top tips from therapist Dawn Estefan, and we hear from Aviah Day, who’s been organising mutual aid networks about how we can all help each other in these tough times.

And Richie’s been seeing some disturbing takes about Covid on his timeline: some people seem to think that it only affects old people or people who have medical conditions, so it doesn’t matter. Nubi Jones and Katouche Goll tell us how that makes them feel as people who are at high risk. Is it a sign of discrimination in favour of non-disabled people? Kamran Mallick, CEO of Disability Rights UK, tells us what he’s seeing.

And it’s 25 years since the Disability Discrimination Act was passed. Before that, it was totally legal to discriminate against disabled people. Campaigner Simone Aspis, who back in the day chained herself to buses to demand change, tells us why the DDA was so important.