Lessons we must take away from the COVID-19 experience

So much has been said about COVID-19 that it has become the widest publicised phenomenon in our modern history. COVID-19 has dominated our lives since January and transformed the way we live.

We have now reached the point where we have to decide whether this is the way we are going to live or revert back to our old lifestyle,

This is an individual choice.

When New Zealand dropped its alert level from four to three this week, many Kiwis could not wait to get out and extend their family bubble and visit their favourite takeaway food outlets.

More cars were seen on the road and long queues formed for two kilometres at drive-throughs.

It was evident that they had missed their favourite food. Some, however, are now so used to home cooking that they prefer it to the takeaway food.

While it requires some effort, they find it cheaper and healthier.

It comes down to a matter of choice.

As our Government continues to relax the rules on COVID-19, we need to make some very important choices.

Are we going to stick to the adjustments we have made or revert back to our pre-COVID-19 ways. We need to adopt a common sense approach. This means we need to hang on to what works best for us. One overall lesson we can learn from this COVID-19 experience is the importance of savings and better use of our resources.

Moving forward we need to be creative and come up with new ideas to sustain our livelihoods.

By now our families have tested and tried different ways of doing things, from cooking, cleaning the house, family worship and spiritual lessons, home schooling, backyard gardening and physical exercise. It has been a good time to strengthen family relationships and unity.

For those who live alone, it must be a difficult time in the absence of socialising, meaning they can’t meet with friends. Undoubtedly, they may have found ways to keep busy and occupied. For those who have adopted a positive attitude, they have discovered some novel ways to be productively engaged. The backyard gardening initiative has been a revelation in this crisis. Irrespective of our socio-economic background, it suits many people particularly those who are physically able.

It has several benefits. It allows us to physically exercise and clear mental stress. Apart from its positive impact on health, it provides fresh food and a potential source of income in the sale of surplus produce. It reduces our food bill significantly.

The impact of COVID-19 will continue to be felt even after all restrictions are lifted.

That is the reason we should hang on to new practices, knowledge, skills and experience learned from the crisis.

Our economy will be slow in recovering if our border is still closed.

Even when it opens, there is expected to be a cautious approach.

Only those who are prepared will be ready for the long haul.