The world upended with the arrival of COVID-19. In its wake it brought death, destruction and economic collapse. How much has changed in such a short space of time. How different life was, just 6 months ago.
Worldwide, governments are making a concerted effort to flatten the curve within their borders. Time will determine their success.
Overall, the global outlook is very bleak.
The Bright Side
In spite of this, it is always a good idea to look on the bright side of life. While the MCO did pose challenges to one and all alike, it has also brought about silver linings. Here’s our take on the new norm because of this pandemic.
Lessons Learnt
On The Homefront
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Sanitise, sanitise, sanitise
For Moms with little ones, wet wipes and hand sanitisers are the norm. The same does not hold true for those with older kids.
Gladys*, who has teenagers and young adults at home, has had an about turn. Now wet wipes and hand sanitisers are on the top of her shopping list.
“When my kids grew up and hit their teens, we stopped using wet wipes and hand sanitisers. All that has changed with the arrival of Covid 19,” she said. “We now have wet wipes in our cars and bags. In addition, hand sanitisers are a fixed feature in our home.”
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Face Masks
Right now, we are still using disposable ones. However, the tide is slowly changing and the demand for washable masks, increasing.
To keep up with consumer demand, washable masks now come with varied designs, from the quirky to the cute, from the plain to multicoloured ones. Even luxury brand designers have joined the bandwagon.
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Big On Hygiene
We are now, by and large, much more conscious about washing our hands and taking showers, especially when we return home. While some may be doing this habitually, many more are making conscious decisions to do so.
And while they are at it, people are making it a point to sterilise the packaging of everything they bring back home, whether it is groceries, home deliveries, or even packed food.
With this heightened awareness, precautions are the natural order of the day, rather than something to pooh-pooh away.
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Igniting Passions
With more time on our hands, many have made it a point to fill their days with activities, other than work, if schedules permit.
Some have rekindled old hobbies, previously shelved on account of work and other commitments. Others have committed themselves to learn an instrument, or a language so as to better themselves. Still others have finely tuned hobbies to higher levels of perfection.
Hopefully, as time passes on, we will keep at it, in spite of busy schedules. Hobbies are, after all, a great way to destress and for self-improvement.
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Unearthing New Talents
Necessity is the mother of invention, so said Plato.
Michael* is a gourmet. With work commitments gobbling up enormous chunks of his time, trying his hand at cooking was simply out of the question.
When the MCO initiated, he found little pockets of free time in his daily schedule. Drumming up a new schedule for himself, he decided to give cooking a try to see if he had a flair for it.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“He is a superb cook,” affirms Caitlyn*, his wife. “He is not content to ruffle up simple dishes, rather he challenges himself daily to create masterful ones, which not only look good, but tastes great. We will miss his cooking when the CMCO is finally lifted and Mike goes back to work.”
For now, though, since Mike’s firm still allows staff to work from home, he is going full steam ahead.
With cooking taken off her hands, Caitlyn decided to delve into gardening, and with some success.
“In the humdrum of the workaday week, I just never had the time to potter in the garden. The MCO has given us the opportunity to take a step back, evaluate and refocus.”
For those who have unearthed new talents, if they persevere, it will indeed be the start of something good.
When Out And About
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Social Distancing
If the Oxford Dictionary were to do a poll on the Word of the Year, this one would probably take first prize.
Creating personal boundaries and respecting them is a top priority, for everyone, everywhere.
Mary* who has resumed her daily runs since May 4 has noticed that people give each other wide berths as they pass by along the roads.
“Prior to the MCO people did not bother, but now I see people really making it a point to adhere to the guidelines set by the Government. People are generally more thoughtful and others centred compared to before, which is a good thing.”
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Flattening The Curve
While flattening the curve was meant to prevent the global collapse of healthcare systems, initially many adhered to rules to prevent themselves from contracting the virus.
However, over time, a subconscious shift started to take place and gather momentum. From fearing contagion, people were more concerned about not spreading contagion. A clear shift from an individualistic attitude to a more communitarian one.
In short, they opted to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. And that’s heartening to know!
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#StayHome
Photo Credit: Metro
With the relaxation of the MCO restrictions, it is now possible to go out. However, with the new normal, we should still adhere to the stay home rules, just to be safe. Children should also be kept at home, unless it is absolutely necessary to go out, at least for the time being.
Moving forward, when all restrictions are lifted, going out may call for prudence and care. Face masks, a high standard of hygiene and social distancing will be a necessity.
On The Global Platform
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Travel Advisory
Photo Credit: Business Today
Borders all over the world are, more or less, shut. Airplanes are languishing on tarmacs throughout the world. Some airlines have gone into voluntary administration. In short, the airline, hospitality and tourism industries have been severely impacted by the virus.
It is hard to foresee what the future holds now. Time will tell how far reaching the fallout will be.
Without a doubt, travel will resume, the question is when and then, where?
If our new infections remain at a comfortable low, travel within Malaysia will slowly start up. All eyes will be trained for any spike in infections. If all remains stable, travel opportunities will come knocking at our door.
As more countries reduce their infections and with the onset of a vaccine, hopefully, regional and international travel will resume, in due course.
For now, we will just have to sit tight now and wait it out.
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Waiting For A Vaccine
Photo Credit: AAFP
Doctors, researchers and scientists all over the work are working continuously to come up with a vaccine for Covid 19. Vaccines, however, need time to produce and test for efficacy and safety. In fact, vaccine trials take an enormous amount of time before the vaccines can be approved for use.
Covid 19 only surfaced, according to official reports, end December.
Hope is good to have, but practically, only time will tell when vaccines will be ready for the masses. To be safe, we will need to keep our vigilance heightened at all times so as to be safe while we wait.
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Virtually Yours
Pre COVID-19, e-commerce platforms were already fast rising stars. However, when countries went into lockdown, the Internet exploded.
While adhering to stay at home orders, online sites multiplied with ideas, suggestions and options to keep people occupied. From food deliveries to grocery purchases, from online shopping to virtual museum experiences, the world was your oyster.
With retailers, financial institutions, libraries, among others, now improving online experiences to buffer against increased demand, online access to anything and everything will be the new norm for many.
We Are All In This Together
These past few months, while the world upended, people rallied globally in support of each other.
We remember when we clapped for the healthcare workers or blasted messages to friends and family alike, showcasing produce, food or flowers for home delivery. We also remember when the country came together to sing songs of hope or when we made the effort to call the homebound to chat or see if we could be of assistance to them.
We came out of our comfort zones to lend aid to another and discovered we are part of a global village.
Maybe, one day, when looking back, we too can echo Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
* Names changed as requested