While it is true that the whole world is dealing with the corona virus, different countries do so in different ways. The British people, for one, has been seen to react in their own unique way…

After the initial phase of ignoring danger where handwashing for 20 seconds was the only necessary precaution, the quickly adopted slogan ‘Stay inside, protect the NHS’ is too similar to the famous WW2 ‘keep calm and carry on’ to not draw parallels. Is this the UK’s way of dealing with tragedies and hardship? Is the focus on encouragement to carry on and do your duty, whilst praising the heroes of the day, the key workers, the “proper” way of living through a crisis? It seems so from the countless handmade and caringly painted signs hung up in home windows and on lampposts on street corners. Whilst in other countries access to doctors for non-COVID matters continues almost unaffected, everyone here seems to accept 4 hour waiting times on NHS 111 without complaint.

Another encouraging thing is the clapping for NHS and key workers at 8pm on a Thursday night – it seems to make people feel less helpless and ungrateful and is a long overdue expression of how much we value those on the front line (another war term!).

My sister, Katie (17), who is aspiring to become a doctor says "I am glad that many NHS workers have actually described how happy it makes them to see this appreciation on a national scale". Some say sarcastically that it echoes the ‘clapping when the plane lands’ and that key workers would certainly prefer being paid more generously to reflect their long training, hard daily shifts, the danger they are putting themselves in constantly, not to mention the lack of sufficient PPE. The clapping has nevertheless become a weekly event to look forward to and a unifying ritual in the neighbourhood. Many are getting more creative, with instruments or pots and pans being used. Jake (15) has added that “seeing everyone come together and support the NHS by clapping is truly heart-warming and shows that even in the most difficult times we are there for each other”

I have also noticed that the familiar ‘want a cuppa?’ chats have not been too hard hit from lockdown regulations as neighbours simply sit across the road with their tea and are able to catch up anyways.

The British show what they are made of in a crisis: patient, helpful and together when it comes to practical things even though the virus has thrown into view how divided a nation we are in regard to wealth and social standing. My mum points out at how lucky we are because "whilst those of us with houses, gardens and a certain degree of financial security endure the lockdown with how to stay fit at home programs and crafting kits, those on zero hour contracts, or no job at all, suffer incredibly in their small flats".

We can only hope that just like in the aftermath of WW2, profound changes will follow and society will be more equal. This could act as a real relief for us all not just while we are in “Surviving the Blitz” crisis mode but for the long run.

Slowly countries are learning from each other and scientific progress is shared in the fight against this common enemy. While physical borders are sharper, cultural boundaries seem more blurred than ever before, whether it’s what’s hard to get in the shops (toilet paper, flour) or symbols like the rainbow and the clapping for their health workers in the evenings seen across the world in the US, Germany and many other nations. This seems to me to show how globally, the things that we are enduring are the same and we are all human in the end. Perhaps this pandemic can bring us all closer together and allow us to become more selfless as TJ (16) says that “some people have also taken it into their own hands and are fundraising to help the less fortunate during these times. I think it’s great that everyone is getting involved in appreciating others” as the community of the British public usually do.

This allows us to see that no matter how ‘British’ we are, we are essentially not that different after all.