As the Coronavirus pandemic rages on, we are gripped by fear of the unknown. Nobody is immune to this horrid disease. Which is why the campaign encouraging people to stay at home makes a lot of sense. This is not the time for people to get together. On the contrary. We must keep apart from each other because there’s no other way out of this for the time being.
Much has been said about the inevitable changes to our lifestyle that have to be made due to the prevailing circumstances, for the sake of everyone’s safety. But not only that. We must make a serious effort to obey the authorities out of respect for the health professionals who have been thrust onto the front line fighting this highly contagious virus to save our lives. It’s the least we can do as a return of gratitude.
The internet is a godsend that keeps us in touch with our loved ones via video calls during the quarantine period. It’s a mixed blessing too, keeping us very well informed with updates about the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, even though the news is rarely uplifting. And for those of us who are set up to work from home, it serves to save precious time that otherwise would have been lost in lengthy traffic jams whilst commuting to the workplace.
The recent dramatic decline in air pollution, down by 70%, is encouraging indeed. It is the only positive result obtained, so far, by imposing a partial lockdown following the Coronavirus outbreak, and a very welcome one might I add. Our desolate roads are proof, if any was ever needed, that emissions are not reduced by cutting down trees. It is the cars themselves that are the island’s largest emitters of airborne toxins. But we know this already, don’t we?
Just like we all know the drill by now. The one drumming home the message that we must wash our hands very frequently using soap and water, for at least twenty seconds each time. The importance of meticulously following this ritual cannot be overstated. But if I was one who liked to make comical remarks about things that aren’t humorous, I would be saying that I only learnt how to wash my hands properly very late in life, just a few years short of retirement age.
French president, Emmanuel Macron, stated that we are at war before he ordered the lockdown on France as a preventive measure. He is right of course and what’s more, this invisible enemy infiltrated our home ground from halfway across the world catching us unawares. On top of that, it has succeeded in tearing us apart from each other, forcing entire families to sever physical contact and sending senior citizens into self-isolation.
Undoubtedly, it is a time to retreat within ourselves and reflect on the fragility of our very existence. How we have taken our comfortable life for granted, assuming it will go on forever. How our reckless disregard for climate change is having severe impacts on all our lives. How our refusal to review bad practices because of lust for money is putting other people’s lives at risk. How the prevalence of physical violence is increasing whilst moral values, rules and standards are notably absent.
Perhaps we could also spare a thought for all those people, from babies to the very old, who are seeking asylum and currently living in overcrowded refugee camps in Greece and Syria. But not only. There are plenty of homeless persons across the European continent. In such bleak circumstances, it goes without saying that vulnerable members of society should be given a roof over their heads. Nobody out there is immune to infection.
The effects of the Coronavirus outbreak are also a sobering reminder of how vulnerable our country’s position is when it comes to the economy. We have been warned by all the trade unions to expect significant economic downturn that will jeopardize the prosperity we have achieved so far. However, talk of aid packages and tax deferrals by government ministers is far from encouraging and has not served to allay public fears of impending economic hardship. Every reasonable person will expect the Government to take more sensible precautions to stop the current crisis from running out of control.
When our household was placed in mandatory quarantine following one of ours’ return from a working week in the UK, we felt a sense of foreboding that comes when something unpleasant is looming in the future. We resigned ourselves to coping with isolation for fourteen days. As I write this piece, we have been on lockdown for over a week and I am happy to announce that we are not at each other’s throats yet!
We also discovered that there is an upside to all this. Our hectic lifestyle has slowed down significantly, and we can now afford to make long and meaningful conversation with each other over a relaxed lunch or dinner in our home. We found that we can catch up with some overdue household chores, with our favourite reading book, with the music we love to listen to. All but forgotten because of our busy daily routine.
Heaven knows we are living in tough times that may well get tougher. Before the Coronavirus, family and friends could get together, we could greet each other with a handshake or a hug, we could go shopping in a busy mall or take a walk in the open air. But, if we pull together, we should be able to overcome this moment of crisis. Social distancing has never been so important. #StayHome - It could save lives.