LUKE MARSDEN: Back on track for the first time in 15 months

Not the most shocking or awe-inspiring news, I know, but to put this into context: pre-Covid I was commuting on trains twice a day, five days a week, so a 15-month dry spell is quite the record.

I had to head to Birmingham on business and didn’t relish the thought of wearing a mask for over two hours on the train.

Thankfully I had an entire carriage to myself so allowed myself some mask relaxation throughout the journey.

Pre-Covid this carriage would’ve been packed, I would’ve been rammed onto the train like an over-priced sardine.

Instead I even had the luxury of an entire table to myself.

If you are reading this and have the same apprehensions that I had, I can testify that I found the entire train journey in a Covid world to be safe and probably more comfortable than in a pre-Covid era.

I didn’t have to contend with someone using their mobile like a megaphone, someone putting their feet on the seats or sneezing onto the table. Covid in this instance was a benefit.

As we continue to step forward in a COVID era and, hopefully, begin to move past-Covid, if it teaches us anything, it is to be aware of our surroundings. I was acutely aware of my surroundings on the train journey to the Black Country and if other passengers were near me, I perhaps would’ve thought twice about removing my mask as frequently.

However, I cannot say the same for Birmingham city centre. I witnessed someone grunt and then spit on the floor. I thought that died off in 2019 alongside working in an office five days a week and handshakes?

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