CORONA - A VIRUS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
WHAT COVID 19 HAS TAUGHT ME
So It all started as breaking news from China, as news filled the airwaves it seemed like a distance problem far removed from us in the UK, at least that’s what we thought. We watched as China tried to battle and understand this disease. As the death toll began to rise it became apparent that this might be a big crisis. China imposed bans, curfews and nationwide lock down and quarantine. Whilst China struggled to deal with this, silent killer countries began to close their borders.
I returned back to UK after a long weekend away from Rome, and 3 days later the first case of Covid 19 was confirmed in York, England. What seemed to be a far a way problem had entered our shores, and to say the least no one expected the series of unfortunate events that unfolded and the rapid scale at which it swept the nation.
We were dealing with a new virus an unseen deadly killer, which unfortunately has spread and killed thousands of people globally ,everyone was on-edge the clinicians,scientist and clinical groups were all under pressure trying to contain,prevent and understand the virus.
The public was gripped with fear, other countries had imposed strict quarantine measures and failure to comply was often met with heavy financial penalties. Eventually for us in the UK the government decided to initiate the Lock-down on the 23rd March. As I write we are on the eve of the non-essential shops re-opening and this will be a sigh of relief to many but I guess we have to wait and see if people flood back to the stores hurriedly as anticipated.
Hopefully with a bit of a background laid,I can share with you my highlights, observations, and lesson learnt from this period so far
MY HIGHLIGHTS
Global Movement Standstill – Who would have thought the earth will take a break from air pollution, and a complete shut down of the airways, no movement globally, sorry to plane spotting fans.
Food Shortage & Limit on quantities – Who would have thought that Flour, Rice, Water(bottled) will become scarce and in high demand, as well as restrictions imposed on quantities allowed to purchase.
Queues – Who would have thought that a nation and people as fast paced and impatient as us, are now queuing up to get the most basics of items and we all just queued. The longest time queued to get in a store was 40 minutes.
Closure of all non-essential stores – Who would have thought that we couldn’t just go to the stores we love you know yours I know mine
Shield and Protective Gear – Who would have thought that there would now be shielded barriers between customer and the cashier and self-service counters, and the wearing of protective gear being enforced in public transport.
No wedding ceremonies -Which Bride/Groom would have thought that their long awaited day that took months to plan will simply not go ahead on the day they had planned. I know a few who had to move their dates for hopefully later in the year.
No Places Of Worship – Who would have thought that our homes will now be a focal place where we would worship, albeit via zoom or what ever social media platform used by your religious affiliation
Educational Institutions – Who would have thought that Gcse’s , A levels, will be affected and graduation for university student postponed ,and schools closed
MY REFLECTIONS
Basic Survival Kit: We can survive on the basics in life you eat what you have and wear what you have,and make do with what you have.
Relationships – Realise that family, relationships are an important part of life,in what ever combination, we all need each other.No man is an island.
Caring For Others – We purposefully checked out on others for their well being. How many people before lock down, new their neighbours or dare I say even talked to them.I’ve heard some good community stories on caring for others and initiative communities ,residents put in place.
Freedom of Movement – The ability to move freely is to be valued, we only had a taste,of mild restriction on movement and a travel ban.So imagine for a moment, those countries and people whose lifestyle is a daily struggle for free movement
All Jobs Are Essential – We all need each other, we realise that all parts of workforce plays an important role the so called” lower paid jobs” suddenly became essential; e.g delivery drivers, sales assistant, bus & train drivers, cleaners,porters,post men and women to name a few.
Savings – I am hoping that some will realise a noticeable savings how ever small. We probably know how wasteful and frivolous we can be,at least speak to myself. I’ve saved a bit on my lunch allowance.I have not bought lunch since we went into lock down and hopefully I maintain this discipline. I ensure I take lunch everyday with me to work, what I take is what I eat!!
On a personal level it’s reminded me that we may all be in different parts of the world but we only have one world.We have to learn to love each other and work together remembering that we are inter connected. Corona is not just a one sided crisis it was and is a global crisis hence declared as Pandemic!
As an essential staff, I have been working throughout the lock down and have been office based. I may have a slightly, different experience which is reflected in this piece.
We are living and writing a piece of history. I encourage you to capture your experiences pictures and thoughts so you can have a more accurate picture of events. If you have children encourage them also to draw, write their experiences,they may well ask them of their experiences when they eventually return back to school.
LETS CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR AN END TO THIS DEADLY VIRUS, AND FOR ALL FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES AS A RESULT OF THIS SILENT KILLER CORONA VIRUS, COVID 19.
“My Biggest Reflective point of all is Don’t Take Things For Granted , and Value the things you have and people in your life.
Feel free to share your perspective let me know what your experiences or highlights are what were your positives in all of this?