The coronavirus pandemic has forced all of us to stay at home to save lives. However, there are a small minority of people who are choosing to disobey the social distancing measures put in place for the greater good.

Now, police have busted a pub operating illegally in the UK after an anonymous tip-off. When they arrived at The Pitsmoor Hotel in Sheffield, England, people hid in cupboards in a bid to avoid arrest.

This teacher told students disobeying lockdown to "die a slow and painful death":

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South Yorkshire Police liquor licensing manager John O'Malley said in a statement: "Officers attended the premises and found a number of people hiding in cupboards. The pub was clearly still open for business.''

"What makes this more significant, is that the license holder has already been served a prohibition notice under the legislation for another premise. Licences for both venues are now under review by ourselves and Sheffield City Council, so there could be long-term implications for these businesses."

Pubs in countries under lockdown have been warned that when restrictions slowly start to get lifted, they will be among the last to reopen.

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Per the Metro, British Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "Areas of hospitality will be among the last to exit the lockdown, yes that is true, they will be among the last.

"This virus has changed so much, it's a new virus of a great potency and lethality. It spreads remarkably fast, we want to ensure that we can get on top of it.''

"We also want to ensure the economic life of the nation, the social life of the nation can return over time but even as some restrictions are lifted the way in which our schools, the way in which our shops and factories operate will change as a result of what we know about this virus and what we know about social distancing.''

"Of course, we want to make sure that the best scientific advice guides us as we take an approach towards easing these restrictions in the right way with appropriate safeguards."

In the UK, the lockdown was extended for at least another three weeks on April 16.

The ongoing pandemic has changed life as we know it, and with no end in sight, people are seeking answers from unconventional sources.

PsychicWorld reported in June that since the lockdown began, there were 669,000 Google searches for "psychic advice" and searches for "psychic predictions coronavirus" increased by 95% over a 90-day period.

The website surveyed the things people are seeking psychic help for during the pandemic, and they found that 80% were asking to see their future, 74% were seeking love advice, and 67% were seeking job advice.

However, this does not give an insight into how this differs from the experience of psychics before the pandemic.

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Working over video chat and phone, VT interviewed two psychics, Daniela Birch and Justine Ayling, both of whom experienced the reported surge in business, and we asked them how this compared to psychic work before COVID-19.

Justine Ayling said she received so many requests she turned down work.

Meanwhile, Daniela Birch said that those who had previously been closed off to her work became less frightened of it.

She said: "People are way more open to my advice. While in the past, I have felt people judged me and feared my gifts."

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The two women noticed a difference in the type of requests they've received, with both noting a move towards mediumship - channeling communication between the dead and the living.

Birch said: "I am known as a relationship/soul mate specialist, but I would say the mediumship side has been stronger. My clients are wanting reassurance from their loved ones on the other side."

This was also the case for Ayling, who said: "I've seen a bit of an increase in people wanting to connect with spirit, partly for guidance but mainly for comfort.

"People realized that the cards were not going to tell them anything they didn't already know, lockdown/virus/social distancing wasn't going away anytime soon."

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Clinical psychologist Dina Hassan said people are choosing mediumship because the pandemic has taught them that so many things are out of their hands.

She said: "Right now, it seems that every time you come to plan for the future, something bad happens, and this leaves you believing little in your ability to plan for what's to come."

The psychics said this has been a difficult time for them too, with Birch revealing that there have been days when her psychic channels have been blocked as she is "highly sensitive to energy."

She said: "Many psychics, including me, are empaths, and we feel the world's pain.

"I have had so many clients in pain, and fear of their future. Some have miscarried, lost loved ones, their business has dried up financially, and everyone is wanting reassurance from me."

One of the downsides of having so many people come to her for advice is that she has had days where she too has wanted comfort and has had to learn how to ask for it herself.

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Ayling said that while she hasn't necessarily had trouble while working with clients, she has also tapped into the negative feelings of others.

She said: "I've had to put a lot of white light protection around myself during lockdown. I meditated, used healing crystals, and used mindfulness to keep the darkness of the time at bay."

An increased number of male clients have contacted Birch during the pandemic, which is an interesting shift from Pew Research Center's finding that women are typically twice as likely to visit psychics.

She said: "I am receiving a lot more men lately who want advice I do also offer intuitive mentoring and working on business coaching and not only one-off readings and guidance."

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Ayling said that one of the reasons people have sought out mediumship is because they have lost loved ones of the virus and wanted confirmation that they were still around.

"They also wanted the chance to say their goodbyes," she said.

Hassan said that seeking out psychics is a way of supplementing a need with hard evidence - evidence which, unfortunately, does not exist during this time.

She said: "It will be someone who really got hit hard by COVID. Who is in learned helpless mode, and that can be anyone because the isolation and distancing is affecting everyone, even therapists."

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If you want to seek out psychic advice, Birch and Ayling advise consulting psychics with good reputations and taking recommendations where possible.

Birch said: "See what they specialize in. Really be crystal clear as to what you want support with."

Ayling added: "Have a completely open mind and be clear at the start what you are looking for."

But while psychics may comfort some during the pandemic, Hassan said that a good alternative is mindfulness.

"It's not a good thing to be stuck in the future or the past," she said. "Being mindful is about being aware of the here and now and celebrating your small successes, which, ultimately, could help you feel better about the future."

Animal charities are warning against the purchase of puppies after families who bought dogs during the 2020 lockdowns are already trying to sell and rehome them.

The Kennel Club conducted a survey last year which showed a dramatic increase in puppy ownership during the pandemic.

Two-thirds of those surveyed described their new puppies as a "lifeline" during the lockdown and 40% admitted to purchasing a dog because they wanted a companion.

This rescue puppy smiles for the camera in an effort to be adopted:

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However, with the situation surrounding the ongoing pandemic changing by the day, many people are sadly beginning to rethink their decisions to get a puppy.

The Times reports that many people are turning to animal charities to get rehome the puppies they impulse bought during the lockdown.

The Dogs Trust revealed that in the last three months, they have received over 1,800 calls from people looking to rehome puppies who are less than a year old, the Daily Mail reports.

Adam Clowes, operations director for the charity, said that new dog owners need to be fully aware that when they purchase a puppy, they are making a ten to 15-year commitment.

"All that initial lockdown excitement - 'We are never going to have to go into the office again, let's get a dog!' - we are now seeing the consequence of that," he said.

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Pets4you and Preloved are also featuring adverts from people attempting to sell on their puppies after when circumstances changed after lockdown.

As per The Times, the owner of a six-month-old collie-spaniel cross, priced at £1,500, wrote in an ad: "Unfortunately, due to work commitments now we are no longer able to give him the loving and care he requires and deserves."

Meanwhile, another dog owner is attempting to rehome a 20-week-old Beagle puppy due to work commitments, writing: "My beagle pup is now 20 weeks old. She is up to date with jabs etc and have paper work to show. She is also microchipped. I bought this pup for myself and now find myself with different hours at work due to COVID."

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In an interview with The Times, RSPCA said that these attempts to rehome hundreds of puppies is the result of "impulse decisions" made during the lockdown.

A spokesperson said:

"We were worried that many families who found themselves at home with time on their hands during lockdown would make impulse decisions to take on pets and now, just a few months on, would be seeking to rehome their new dogs after realizing how much commitment they are, having run into financial difficulties due to the pandemic, or because they've returned to work and no longer have time for them."

The Kennel Club conducted research that found that new puppy owners did less than two hours' research before purchasing a dog, "leaving them particularly vulnerable to scams and unable to spot the signs of an unscrupulous breeder."

While supermarkets across the UK could be facing a shortage of supplies if buyers continue to stockpile in preparation for potential self-isolation, it appears that some people in the Netherlands are stockpiling a rather different substance.

Indeed, new measures brought about by the Dutch government have ordered the closure of the country's famous coffee shops, in addition to restaurants and bars, ABC News reports.

Familiarize yourself on the symptoms of coronavirus:

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In response to the prospect of going without cannabis for a few weeks, Amsterdam's coffee shops saw huge queues forming outside over the weekend. And according to the publication, the closures will be in place until at least April 6.

In related news, the people of California are having to contend with the closure of bars, gyms, theaters and in-person dining in restaurants so that the spread of COVID-19 is minimized.

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In order to encourage the citizens of California to cooperate with authorities in the fight against the spread of the virus, the state's former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger took to social media to urge people to stay indoors.

In the clip, the Austrian-born actor tells his followers: "The important thing is that you stay at home because there’s a curfew now. No one is allowed out especially someone who is 72 years old. After 65 you’re not allowed out your house anymore in California, so you gotta stay home.

"That’s what we do. We don’t go to restaurants, we don’t go to anything like that anymore here. We just eat with Whiskey and with Lulu [his ponies] and have a good time and get entertained. Look at that beautiful smile she is. 

No more restaurants, forget all that. Gatherings, restaurants, gymnasiums are out the window. You stay home."

Watch as the 72-year-old actor avocates self-isolation amid the coronavirus outbreak:

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In a report from the World Health Organization last Wednesday (11 March), WHO declared that the COVID-19 outbreak is now being officially recognized as a pandemic:

"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction.

We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. 

Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death."

At the time of writing (March 16), there have been 152,428 cases of coronavirus and 5,720 deaths from the disease worldwide.

If you're anything like me and no doubt millions of others, the plague has probably crossed your mind more than once this year.

The entire world has been forced into quarantine because of the ongoing pandemic, and even though restrictions are lifting, social distancing remains of the utmost importance until a vaccine is developed.

Now, a quirky tradition known as "wine windows" has made a comeback since it first originated in Italy during the medieval period.

These windows are also known as the "buchette del vino" of Tuscany and Florence.

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The small, quite literally pint-sized windows were created to allow the safe transportation of wine (and other alcoholic beverages) during the Italian plague of the 1600s, which claimed an estimated million lives, according to Epidemics and Pandemics their Impacts on Human History.

For obvious reasons, these windows have now made a comeback to allow people to do the same thing over 400 years later.

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The Wine Window Association's website reads: "Everyone is confined to home for two months and then the government permits a gradual reopening. During this time, some enterprising Florentine Wine Window owners have turned back the clock and are using their Wine Windows to dispense glasses of wine, cups of coffee, drinks, sandwiches and ice cream - all germ-free, contactless!"

Sadly, Italy has once again been ravaged by disease in 2020, with WorldOMeter reporting that there have been 249,000 confirmed cases and 35,187 deaths in the country.

In Florence and Tuscany, the wine windows are a notable part of the city's architecture, and there are upwards of 150 in the Florence's city walls alone.

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Matteo Faglia, the association's president, told Insider: "People could knock on the little wooden shutters and have their bottles filled direct from the Antinori, Frescobaldi and Ricasoli families, who still produce some of Italy’s best-known wine today."

He added: "The wine windows gradually became defunct, and many wooden ones were permanently lost in the floods of 1966."

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But this year, the windows have become more than a historical architectural quirk and they have opened for business once again, proving that sometimes, the past can have a use in the future too!