The real question here is whether the disease could have been better fought by seperating the population into two groups - the over 60s where the death rate is high and the under 60s where the rate is low. The former could have been seriously locked down, the latter could have gone to work as normal and let the virus infect them with little more than a bad cold. To some degree this has happened because the old and cranky like me have fled indoors in fear of the bug whilst youngesters have ignored the rules on the basis, as one put it, of "the old have had their lives and the virus wont kill me". But it could have happend in a better organised way.
The real issue for us golden oldies is how we live what is left of our lives. There is no reason to think that a vaccine will come riding over the horizon any time soon ( I believe the record shortest development time is 4 years ) so the bug isnt going to go away any time soon and will ramp up between now and next May. So if you cant socialise with other than tiny groups, either by common sense or government orders, and you cant sensibly go on holidays etc, just what do you do with your retirement?
With the second wave, at least we have a straightforward and simple strategy that we can follow with a pretty good chance of success:
1. Which other countries tackled the first wave in a way that resulted in significantly fewer excess deaths per 100k than the UK? (Answer - practically everyone)
2. Which of these countries are most like the UK in terms of economy, population density, and health service provision? (Answer - probably Germany)
3. Therefore hw should we tackle the 2nd wave? (Answer - copy Germany)
Will we do this? Of course not, we are cursed by British exceptionalism to be convinced that it wouldn't work here for all sorts of spurious and nonsensical reasons.
As to how do we cope with retirement if you can't meet with loads of people or go on holiday?
Answer: Change your lifestyle to focus on the things you can do rather than worrying about stuff you can't.
Learn new things, including how to socialise remotely and use technology effectively. I'm currently making music by emailing tracks back and forth with pals and sharing via SoundCloud.
Take on new hobbies that you can do from home: Cooking, Music, Engineering, Gardening, Astronomy, Reading, Writing, Philosophy, Art, Poetry, Photography, Cycling, Running, Walking, the list is endless. Join online groups to discuss your new-found interests and learn from others.
Or just join Reddit or Twitter and have endless arguments with idiots about stuff.
