In retrospect, the clinic shut down early. The last patient cancelled and we shut the books for the foreseeable future. One day we will open again, but not yet.

Everyone followed soon after and the long wait began.

While most stay safe in their homes, supported by untold teams of drivers, shop workers and multitude other essential services, thousands of ordinary people, face down the horsemen. Death and Pestilence ride together, War and Famine await their turn in forgotten corners of the globe.

The words often ascribed to such occasions are those of conflict, of battles won and lost, of enemies and war. But as a certain Mr Turner puts it:

It’s easy enough to talk about Blitz spirit when you’re not holding the roof up and knee deep in it.

This is not a battle, it’s a tsunami, a huge wave triggered far away, yet one whose power can be mitigated by personal inaction, where sitting on the sofa can directly prevent mortality.

At some point the tide will recede, revealing a new reality. Many will have lost loved ones, more face a changing work landscape, yet more have no job at all. With such changes will come uncertainty, unrest and reflection to last years. In time, this point will become another node in history, and essays, theses and books will be written, hopefully adding to the lessons learned so that those who come after us will be wiser.

In the complementary sector, we will have to consider many new areas. We will have to change practices to protect both ourselves and our clients, we may be unable to offer certain treatments, others may require new equipment or skills.

Manual therapy will demand better personal protective equipment, with gloves, facemasks and clean tops for each client, as well as facemasks for any client with respiratory problems. Beauty therapy and more intimate procedures will require eye protection and improved health screening due to the prolonged proximity of the client and the risk of aerosol producing events.

As a business owner, assume your income will be down at least a third within three months and your industry will be on a different landscape within three years. As a practitioner, think through what you do, assess the risks and understand what you will need to change to make it safer for you and your client, what new skills you will end to learn and what equipment you will need to use.

The doors will reopen on a changed landscape. Those who don’t evolve will be left behind. Reflect, plan, act.