THE 18 MONTHS
The past 18 months has not been a joy ride since the pandemic began. In our first lockdown we hardly had any deaths and only a few COVID-19 cases. We all stayed put in our homes fearing the virus and lived under very tense circumstances. Here we are 18 months later living in another lockdown, which is so dissimilar to the first. Cases topping the thousands and many deaths. The same fear that we felt during the first lockdown exists amongst us but there does not seem to be any panic in the air.
The 18 months have affected people in different ways. Many felt victimised at the beginning. A while later all forms of creativity and talents came out; having delivery platforms it became very easy to prepare and sell foodstuff from home especially when there was a demand for it. These newly blossomed food suppliers varied from good to mediocre to bad but they all were successful in their ventures. Many also produced other items from their homes in the form of clothing, toys, scented candles, jewellery to name a few. These kept people occupied and brought in some income. Food, however, dominated the arena.
Many businesses have been affected by the online and delivery market and by year end we will come across empty buildings and shop spaces. People have now learnt that less is more. Be it the Alpha Variant, the Beta Variant, the Delta Variant and the Gamma Variant, people have decided to brave it and have begun travelling overseas.
Large gatherings, especially if indoors, are the biggest spreader of the virus and I am sure some solution will be brought about, especially in a country such as ours that hardly experiences harsh chilly weather.
Even in the midst of a pandemic somethings can never be stopped. A star, Yohani, was born and in no time, she became internationally renowned. My heartiest congratulations to this young lady and I wish her all success. She has become a great inspiration to others and one can now see their desperate efforts on Youtube and Instagram to reach for the same stars. We have also seen a rise in all the social media platforms, especially Tiktok; some clips are superb whilst others are cringeworthy and shy making. Success is thrust only on some at most times even though many seem to be desperately looking for it.
All that we can hope for is that this pandemic will soon become endemic and we can go back to living normally. The past 18 months have been traumatic, sorrowful, successful and brought happiness sadness and loneliness to many. Some have learned many things from this pandemic whilst others have just become worse than what they were. It is a mixed bag of emotions and we all wish for better times.