2 Years On …
On the 30th of January 2020 when the World Health Organisation declared the novel Coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, who would have thought that 2 years down the track we would still be trying to comprehend how our lives have changed forever.
History shows various pandemics experiences over the centuries but in a modern world, it is difficult to accept that this pandemic is not going away as fast as we would like .
A global impact on lives lost, economic downturn, families separated and extreme poverty are just some examples of its negative adversities.
No doubt we are living in a changed world , with new normals in every aspect of living. Wearing masks , washing hands , maintaining social distancing have been prevalent and now the focus also is on getting vaccinated.With the number of deaths around the globe significantly reducing , it’s evident vaccines are working.
It was with alarming speed that the pandemic already brought global economy to a stand still . Livelihoods were impacted with business closures mainly due to tight restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus. One such industry to be hit the hardest was the hospitality industry . Seeing restaurants replaced by ghost kitchens was an outright slap on the face of this industry. Delivery took over in-house restaurant dining , friends and families socialising outside of homes turned into quiet dinners at home and it went so on and so forth.
Then it was the loss of jobs which saw families struggle. The food and beverage industry, in my opinion, was hit the hardest and the sad part was that there was no support from the governments. In almost two years this industry crumbled to its lowest point.
Two years went by , teaching hundreds and thousands of lessons along the way with many more still to come . Here’s some to think about :
- family time got rejuvenated , with parents working from home and children being home schooled, there was more quality time experienced. Working from home became just as productive as it would have been in the office
- medical revolution got unleashed , with all time record broken in the manufacture of a vaccine and rolling out into the communities .
- Masks and sanitizers became part of the norm and will be for years, with some extra caution in social distancing. People no longer feel comfortable in close proximity with others
- isolation became loneliness and we suddenly realised that it just doesn’t happen to the elderly , it can happen to anyone
- air , rail and public transport travel changed forever , with strict COVID protocols in place .
- and the list goes on ….
While some people lived in fear of getting infected , others became stubborn and refused precautionary measures . Some people didn’t believe that Coronavirus existed . Some also went to the extent of protesting against the vaccine . With the death toll in hundreds if not thousands, the pandemic became a nightmare at every level of human existence.
Although history dates back to 3000 BC with pandemics wiping out entire populations in some areas , this pandemic is another story .
The collective trauma caused by this pandemic is unfathomable . We aren’t meant to live under this level of tension and people are reaching at breaking point . The mental health of many is at risk with so many twists and turns .
Let’s hope that the worst is behind us now and we all are marching forward with a new sense of existence. We may still be in danger, still cooped up in houses and still not being able to move around freely but one thing is certain that the only way to beat the virus is by fighting it . Life will go on but in a whole lot of different realms .
