Social distancing is a term used and put into place to make a conscious effort to reduce close contact between people and hopefully stymie community transmission of the virus.

The guidance is clear; if you must go outside you should stay more than 2m (6ft) apart from anyone other than members of your own household. This is what's known as social distancing.

So, what is so difficult to understand? 

Why are people still encroaching on your personal place inappropriately where it could be avoided?

Yesterday I went to Aldi and at first felt relieved they seemed to have put measures in place adhering to social distancing.  There were stickers on the ground which were placed strategically 6ft apart following the 6ft rule indicating where people could stand in an orderly queue to wait to enter the store once a trolley had been acquired.

Only one member of the household was allowed in to keep numbers down.  At which point many husbands found themselves sitting patiently in cars secretly relieved - no man likes to shop even for food!

To get the trolley, at this particular store, Aldi had employed a very efficient chap who was keeping everything and everyone moving in an organised fashion. 

I had to wait until instructed otherwise to get my trolley whilst someone crossed in front of my path to enter the store and then I was given the green light and could get my cage on wheels and join the queue.  Fabulous we were all standing correctly giving each other the required amount of space.  Everyone looking calm, everyone feeling happy at these measures being taken at this serious time.

However, once in the store the process and order was not displayed and this is where even though Aldi have employed an extra member of staff to help ease the current requirements, this chap couldn’t be in two places at once and although he tried to regularly come into the store to check how many shoppers were in, there was no one in the store reminding people to stick to the rules – stay your distance, respect each other’s space during this worrying time.

At one point there were so many people in the aisle, I felt trapped, I couldn’t go forward and couldn’t reverse.

Demonstrating the skills of a contestant on supermarket sweep the list went unused. I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.  But I ensured even though this mad trolley dash would prove more expensive than I set out, I didn’t flout the 6 feet rule.  I remained completely respectful of others safety whilst concerned about my own.  I felt as though I was in a place full of unknown germs, hearing the odd cough and splutter!

When it came to checkout again the spacing stickers were clear for everyone to see and yet the person behind me stood right behind me and when I asked him to move back, not in a position to move forward; his reply was "I don’t understand what all the fuss is about! – it’s absolutely stupid".

In the words of Stephen Mulhern "Unbelievable!"

Stand back sir!  Get out of my personal space and follow the instruction that the government has put into place for everyone’s safety and regrettably you are the only one who is stupid!  It had to be said!

With a further 684 people in UK hospitals have died of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the country's death toll to 3,605, it is again a record daily rise in fatalities, in line with an upward trend.

So why are people just not getting it?

My advice to supermarkets is if you are going to do it, do it properly!  Put tighter measures in place to ensure this doesn’t just become a tick box exercise during this very scary and unprecedented time!