The world war against covid 19

When I was a little girl, I was a very active child. I used to go play outside without fear of my parents not being around me. They taught us basic things that would help us grow stronger physically, emotionally, and mentally. We learned these lessons through stories from elders in our society and also by watching movies. One day when we were home, my mother asked me if I went on an adventure with friends? My answer was “no”. It started as just playing outside but gradually ended up being more adventurous than many of our childhood games.

My family consists of only one brother who is the best at math and I have the best memory when it comes to math. There are three children, two girls, two boys, and a baby girl. As a result, there was a lot of time for them to explore their surroundings and get more involved and learn new things along the way. However, there were times when they didn’t even know what going out outside was all about so eventually went back inside. And the following day, my mom saw my brother playing outside at night and asked him to let her know. She said, “you shouldn’t be playing outside because you’re always with your friends”. I remember thinking it was weird because I wasn’t there. But then I had another idea, which was that she could be out looking at flowers and look at the weather. This story scared me a little and I told her that we should stay indoors. Because I thought the weather was no longer conducive to playing outside but I knew, this would definitely not happen because we were too close to each other. Therefore, I began to play with my sister and brother outside where we did not have any other peers. I started learning some skills like walking and running from my uncle’s side. Slowly and slowly, my life changed. There was a period when I wasn’t able to attend school by myself.

There were several months of the pandemic when we didn’t say a word to anyone except for our teachers and grandparents. We didn’t see our families very often, especially on holidays or birthdays. No one ever came or called us out on it. My son’s name used to go something like “it will never come back to normal” or “everything will be fine”. Those few months are still there and there are days when everyone wants to go outside but we don’t want to feel uncomfortable doing so. For others, this became worse when the government ordered us to wear masks during certain activities. Not knowing what to expect when travelling outside became another problem they suffered from. Some people just were able to understand why it happened but still, some were unable to put themselves in places where they weren’t really required. It affected both men and women all around the globe. Women were forced to travel to work abroad due to financial concerns while men were trying to find new ways to earn money. Most of our communities lost social cohesion.

I experienced different situations in my life. On one hand, I used to have friendships with kids who I didn’t know. But I never felt comfortable travelling alone until the lockdown started. Friendships with strangers got less frequent and I began worrying about my own well-being so I decided to start reading online to help me understand the situation and learn how and why something like this happens. A friend who had travelled out of China told me a story: when he was a kid he travelled to Indonesia with his parents and siblings. Once his parents died due to sickness and his sister was diagnosed with cancer, he felt lonely and almost depressed. His parents were very strict and used to beat him if they found he was spending time alone. He started reading about selfless acts like those that helped those who weren’t wealthy. By reading articles, he understood to stay positive and grateful for what he has. In a conversation, a friend told me about a man named John Hocknell who spent most of his time outside while working for the army. He had given up his job and decided to return to his homeland. When his father passed away, he had been looking for someone to support him and his wife. After meeting him, he wanted to return to Ireland.

Many of us are lucky that we have family members and friends who understand that we don’t need to travel to other countries to live. They try their best to make sure we can go out and experience great experiences without exposing us to danger. Others take advantage of the current pandemic situation to force more government orders for people to mask up, avoid large gatherings, or minimize contact with others. Some also think that it is okay to ignore rules made by international bodies like WHO that are based on science and evidence and therefore can violate national laws that protect citizens from infections during outbreaks. To be honest, the reality is a lot more frightening for many people than it could ever have been before. Many of us, including adults, children, and adults alike, have become anxious about everything that has been happening lately. Being forced into isolation, isolated from loved ones, and separated from friends because of this virus and its effects has resulted in anxiety for many people.

Throughout the last month, I spoke with a friend who travels regularly and her reaction to the current quarantine situation is very similar to mine. She had booked a train ticket to travel this week but just after she received notification about the first case of coronavirus and then boarded the train and stayed seated throughout the trip to Amsterdam and Amsterdam airport, and when she arrived, the entire plane became sick. In another conversation, a girl shared that as soon as they got off the flight, the whole plane was infected with COVID-19 and she and her husband are quarantined. Her mother is ill right now. Now she has returned back to the United States and the trip is cancelled but this doesn’t mean that her journey home will be ruined, but it does change how her family and her country are affected. She said that everyone who travelled to Italy during the early stage of the virus was quarantined. If I ever get another chance to travel, I’ll definitely check my itinerary, and if I’m fortunate enough to travel to Europe, I will always follow CDC guidelines.

The news of covid 19 kept me awake at night, but also relieved me for months. Even though I knew and suspected the spread of the virus in Canada but I never received concrete information until the lockdown started. All of a sudden, I couldn’t sleep at night; I began getting panic attacks and had to stop eating. So much so, that I had to visit doctors at least once a week to have some relief from anxiety. Eventually, everything got better and now there aren’t any restrictions and we all travel internationally but there are still certain countries that continue to experience severe outbreaks.