Are Rotherham locksmiths allowed to go to work

Focus on the threat from COVID-19

I trust you’re all keeping as well as possible out there and doing all you can to stay safe. It’s a strange time, and no mistake, isn’t it? One minute we’re all talking about Brexit, Liverpool and Love Island (well, some of us) and the next it’s all immediately pushed aside as everything focuses on the threat from COVID-19. As someone pointed out a month or so back, COVID-19 can easily be sang along to the tune of Come on Eileen, but that seemed slightly funnier all those weeks ago before it all became very real with government press conferences, self-isolation, and a use of the word “unprecedented” that was, well unprecedented in modern times in its ubiquity.

There isn’t a lot more to say about the situation that hasn’t already been said, and I certainly don’t have any new pearls of wisdom except to keep following the advice we’re given by the NHS and the top health officials in the hope of getting through this as quickly as possible. Part of that advice is, of course, about social distancing, and staying in your homes unless necessary, and that brings me on to what I’ll briefly talk about today.

Key frontline workers

The advice is to work from home unless totally necessary means key workers such as nurses, doctors, cleaners, delivery drivers, shelf stackers, shop assistants etc are all still going out to work to keep our health system and economy going. It’s curious how we’ve gone from a lot of workers being described as “low skilled” just a month or so ago to being described as “key frontline workers” by the very same people now. Let’s hope if anything comes of this that we value ALL workers no matter what their occupation. But anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox there and introduce a terrible pun about locksmiths being the original key workers because our work often concerns keys.

As well as being a key worker in the lock and key sense, I would suggest that locksmiths are also an essential frontline service in the current situation, and that is why I have kept working the last week and will continue to do so as long as I can stay safe, not putting myself or others at risk. You may wonder why I get to carry on when so many people are working from home, so I’ll give you a couple of examples.

Lock mechanisms are no respecter of crises

Imagine trying to unlock your flat or house door one morning and finding it breaks when you try and turn the key. You are now stuck in your property, and this could be your only way in or out. Now, I know we’re meant to generally stay in our houses, but a) you can’t go out and get essential food or meds, b) if you’re a key worker you are needed at work, c) you can’t go out for your daily exercise, and d) this is a massive fire risk. I’d argue that a), b) and d) certainly count as an emergency situation, and even c) is important for mental and physical health.

The emergency services have got enough on their hands at the moment, so you wouldn’t want to trouble them, but who else is available? If we didn’t count locksmiths as an essential service this could escalate into a serious situation, even one of life or death given the fire scenario. Therefore, I feel it is important that locksmiths keep working where they can in order to deal with these emergencies. More routine work can be delayed for now, but situations such as the above require dealing with as soon as possible. Even if it was just the patio doors that were broken, this is still a security risk, and if it’s the only way of letting a pet out in the garden, people are going to be well and truly stuck without the help of a locksmith.  Or have a very messy house at the end of lockdown.

This is just one example – there are many others – think of the A&E nurse who arrives home desperate for a rest only to have lost her keys and be unable to access her flat. Without a locksmith it would be a desperate search for alternative accommodation and in all probability a sleepless night which is the last thing anyone needs, especially with another shift in A&E the next day.

Or there is the keyworker whose house has been burgled whilst they’ve been at work, leaving them with a snapped lock. They need help straight away to make their home secure and allow them to continue doing their vital work. That’s where I come in. I’m not pretending I save lives or am as vital to the effort as an A&E nurse, but in the same way that garages are staying open to help keyworkers get to and from work, I am still needed to assist these keyworkers to do their jobs, and to help anyone else in an emergency.

I am still working on emergency jobs

Hopefully this explains why, for now, I am still working on emergency jobs. Please be assured that I am taking all sensible precautions when working, including social distancing and much washing and cleansing of hands. We’re living in a fluid situation with things changing by the day and there may come a day when I have to stop, but for now, I will continue to help where I can as long as I am not risking other people’s health.

Please be patient if you require help with a non-urgent job. I’m sure you will understand that emergencies take priority at the moment, but for any lock or security problem during this time, please call me on 01709 711055 and I will try to do everything I can to help. Together we can get through this, and helping each other along will make everything a lot easier. Please stay safe.