Some of the newspapers today are excitedly headlining the news that grandparents in England can hug their grandchildren again this week. It’s not easy for the many grandparents who are still not allowed to do so.

The BBC carries a more nuanced version of the story. From this weekend any adult who lives alone or with children under 18 (but no other adults) can form a support bubble with another household. While continuing to live in two homes they can interact as if they live together and don’t have to observe social distancing (although they must all self-isolate if any one of them develops symptoms). This does make a lot of sense and will help to counteract loneliness suffered by many people who have lived through lockdown on their own, whatever their age.

But crucially many grandparents are excluded from these arrangements. If they live with a partner they cannot form a support bubble unless the other household has just one adult. That would work for some intergenerational families, but not all.

And from my perspective, the sad truth is that no-one who is shielding may join a support bubble.  Many grandparents, like us, are shielding.

Our two grandsons live a hundred miles away, so even in normal times we don’t drop in on each other on a day-to-day basis. But we usually make sure that we meet up at least once a month, sometimes in our house, sometimes in theirs and sometimes halfway between. The last time we did that was in February.

One of the consequences of lockdown is that we have probably chatted with them more on social media than ever before – especially with the discovery of Zoom and Houseparty. It was sad not being able to celebrate an eleventh birthday in person last month, but we still enjoyed watching the excited reactions as presents were opened.

So please be considerate when discussing the new guidance. It is definitely good news for those who can take advantage, and I would not want to diminish that. But human interest stories about families which are now reunited can only exacerbate the sadness of separation for many others.

PS. The older grandson decided to shave off all his hair at the beginning of lockdown so now looks very different from the photo.

Please note

We have been in full self-isolation since 16th March to protect my husband whose immune system is compromised.

If you are in self-isolation then join the Lib Dems in self-isolation Facebook group.

You can find my previous Isolation diaries here.

* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.