@Alex50
I don’t think it’s all over but I do think lockdown is coming to an end. Shops are open, restaurants and cafes will open soon, schools will open in September, holidays and flights will open soon. You will have to make your own risk assessment whether it’s safe or not, let alone touching a gate and washing everything that comes into the house.
Yes, we should all make our own risk assessments. And there is still a risk outside.
With the push, 'kissing gate' style of gate the op described, hooking a foot under to open it when lots of people are passing through sounds sensible. I've done that many, many times pre covid anyway, carrying a toddler etc.
I wipe my front gate down regularly. Don't wipe down shopping but do only buy packaged food including plastic wrapped fruit and veg or frozen. Leave shopping in hall while I wash hands, remove mask, change clothes, put shopping away leaving bags in hall. Open letters and parcels in hall, disposing of packaging straightaway then washing hands,taking care not to touch face in meantime.
Businesses are opening for economic reasons,, not because it's necessarily safe. Particularly in an area like mine that has been a hotspot all along.
Even with the 2m rule to be removed imminently, things won't go back to normal. Getting the impression they're about to make face coverings mandatory in more situations in place of that. I already wear one for the supermarket and will everywhere else public indoors for the foreseeable.
A local hairdresser interviewed said they'll be taking all clients full details in case needed for track and trace which sounds sensible. Delivery personnel that visit the premises too. Hairdressers obviously known for cleaning/hygiene anyway and sounds like face coverings will be mandatory. I won't be going for the time being though. Same with non essential shops though I miss the bookshop and local cafe. Supermarket trips for my large family are enough, online shopping apart from that.
Outdoors not visiting the Lakes until local covid figures have come right down and facilities such as public toilets are more widely open.
As for non essential international travel, resuming that immediately is crazy to me. Back in March with a local outbreak in a school traced to an Italian holiday, if you'd told me after a half hearted lockdown for a short couple of months the government may be telling people they can jump straight back on planes for holidays, I wouldn't have believed you.
September is close just for local transmission to come down to the point getting my DCs back in to school safely (hopefully full time for my soon to be Year 6 DD particularly) seems possible. Three primary age DCs means three classes of pupils, staff, their families as contacts. DH, although mainly still working from home, returning to some travel on public transport for meetings and coming in to prolonged contact in the office with colleagues who will be travelling all over the county for work again. That's enough contacts going in to the Autumn and Winter!