Covid-19 lockdown restrictions has become the new norm regarding life within our society, with lockdown becoming a huge restriction on the general public’s social life and mental health, and self-isolation for some bringing out absolute boredom. The dawn of a second lockdown coming into place has left many people feeling somewhat fed up. As the public struggles to cope with their mental health, some choose to breach government restrictions in order to maintain sanity. The market for the underground raver scene or “illegal raves” (as some might call it) has become popular with many gen z teens, bringing back the popularity of the 90s and 80s “acid house raves”. The rise of drug use has also been on the increase, with people popularising ecstasy and cream canisters accompanied by alcohol. These degenerates have gone crazy! But I wouldn’t blame them.
I have been lucky enough to locate one of such illegal unlicensed events, situated within a somewhat prehistoric barrage boat, located on the outskirts of London on the River Lea, to see what people are getting themselves into. Straight of the bat I was able to see the sheer amount of profit the organisers were raking in with their balloon/drinks bar and extortionate 20-pound entry fee. The boat which was a small cannel tightly packed with at least 30 people (a clear breach of corona rules), and not a single care in the world, as though corona did not exist for this moment – it looked like life before this catastrophe started. The balloons all over the floor and the vapor of people’s lungs steaming my glasses, I quickly felt uncomfortable with the paranoia of corona lingering in the air.
Upon exit I got a gasp of fresh air and a shiver from the cold sweat running down my neck. I was also able to meet one of the organisers who explained “we have events held every week for the past two years”. As Covid-19 cases see a rapid increase I’m not surprised why the UK has seen a huge 166,998 cases within the last 7 days according to gov.uk. The UK has been accused of failing to enforce lockdown in a strict enough manner in comparison to places such as Wuhan, where lockdown has ended since April and nightlife resumes back to normal with no new cases reported as of September 2020.
I also had the chance to speak with “the plugs” of the drug scene, who have told me more of their supply has been sold to “people who sell at raves” and they’ve been able to “sell more during this lockdown period”. Drug dealers have taken advantage of this global pandemic many dealers making “up to £800 on profit for ecstasy pills”. Some of these dealers have told me they sell to people who are self-isolating or don’t seem to go out due to these new rules. This makes me wonder do people do drugs for these raver nights or is it just a way to escape from our new reality?
The stress of lockdown has played a huge factor on the breaches of rules. Many people across the UK have felt a huge effect on their mental health “Over two-thirds of adults (69%) said they were very or somewhat worried about the effect that the coronavirus was having on their life now.” With “56% of people feeling stressed or anxious” according to the health foundation an organisation focusing on the health of the public and currently focusing on Covid-19 within the uk. People aren’t taking the government serious especially with Boris under control. The youth struggle to keep within the guidelines and have been refrained from going any longer. With conspiracy theories being the sprinkle on the cake, it makes people suspicious if the virus is even real, but that’s a topic for another day…
Peoples mental health being challenged has become a hot topic, especially with the recent death of a 19 yr old university student in Manchester, which resulted in an outcry from students to the government to look out for people’s mental health. Students are acting for change, so they aren’t barricaded by the walls of their accommodation. Social media has become a huge impact on mental health with many people reaching out to others as a voice. It’s also become a huge influence on how people are feeling with many of us trapped by the internet.
The whole idea of these breaches doesn’t sit well for many people, but from looking at the perspectives of others I see why people don’t care. People have grown tired of false promises from the government feeling disheartened by the government’s reaction to the pandemic. The loss of trust is heavily noticed from people who have already endured many months of lockdown. Having many people struggle with coping with their mental health and the social media influence making things much worse I don’t give blame to people trying to break free, as this lockdown has made us escape from what was once known as reality.
When watching what’s going on around the world, I question if the UK is reacting well to this crisis, or are we struggling to keep afloat.