A pair of twin sisters are among a number of Norfolk families saying self-isolation is bringing them closer together.
Carol Carter and Anita Capes have found themselves living together for the first time in years as they have decided to self isolate at home in Sheringham.
Both sisters have undergone several surgeries for the same heart condition and shared their positive outlook as more than 1.5million people with underlying health conditions are to be asked to stay at home for 12 weeks.
The pair, who have four children and six grandchildren each, say being together is “something special” and is a positive in the current climate.
Mrs Carter said: “We are both taking it one day at a time. We’re not thinking about the 12 weeks so we do not have to keep thinking about it. We cannot worry about 12 weeks, that’s not a good thing to think about, think about today and tomorrow. I don’t think people should be trying to work out what they will be doing in 12 weeks, that’s where people might start to feel more isolated.”
Read more: Norfolk coronavirus cases rise to 34With family nearby, they said they can access shopping or rely on a local taxi firm which has offered to deliver shopping and prescriptions and leave on the doorstep.
Mrs Capes added: “We talk about our childhoods, the games we played, hopscotch, playing catch and passing all of these things to our children so that they can do with the grandchildren. It’s helping them.
“This is something special for us, something lovely that has come out of something terrible.”
For Dereham resident Helen Manning, she had to make the hard decision to leave her husband and dogs and self-isolate with her mother Mary Laing in the Cotswolds for 12 weeks.
The 55-year-old took action last week as both she and her mother have a number of underlying health conditions, including diabetes.
Read more: The people, groups and communities in Norfolk helping others in their hour of need Mrs Manning said: “I have been worrying a lot about for a long while. My husband works on a farm he has to continue to carry on feeding the nation and he comes into contact with a lot of people.
“I came to the conclusion that it is better for us to be apart for a hopefully short period of time in the scheme of things than stay catch it and die.”
The mother and daughter run online businesses, with Mrs Laing’s seed business taking off as more people have requested seeds.
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