Four years after the start of the pandemic, this mother and her son, from the United Kingdom, are still living in confinement mode, all to protect the boy suffering from an autoimmune disease.
Washing your hands, keeping two meters apart, wearing a mask, washing groceries… this is the reality in which Mandy and Mason Milne live, even if confinement measures have been lifted in England.
This is because Mason, 22, suffers from Crohn’s disease, which puts him at greater risk of complications if he contracts COVID-19.
“The pandemic is over for the majority of people and they are getting back to their lives, but for us it is even more difficult now. It’s worse than when the restrictions were in place,” explained the mother in an interview with The Mirror.
The situation also affects the young man who is also autistic on a relational level, since he cannot socialize with people from the outside. Mason now lives withdrawn from the outside world, whereas he tried to lead a normal life before the pandemic.
For example, if he wants to get some fresh air, he will go out for a walk alone. “I cross the street if I see someone and I carry antibacterial wipes with me in case I have to press the button at a pedestrian crossing. I don’t touch the button with my hands, I use a wipe. Then, I wash my hands when I am indoors and, everywhere, there are few hand sanitizers,” he told the British media.
Mason has an older brother and sister, but even though they are careful, seeing them still causes fear in his 59-year-old mother.
“The government told us at the start of the lockdown that there was a good chance people like Mason would die if they caught COVID. As a parent, I would feel so guilty if I was the person who made my son sick,” she said.