Living In a New Reality
Thursday, September 03, 2020
Written by Kopila Valley Student, A
Who could have predicted this? Like most people I know, I downright dismissed the risk of the Coronavirus when I first heard about it. An epidemic thousands of miles away would never be of my concern, I thought. Oh, how wrong I was!
As the outbreak quickly spread all over the world, everyone around me started getting scared. The government in my country imposed a nationwide lockdown in March. Only then I understood the seriousness of the situation and the impact it was going to have on our life in the days to come.
Technologies have helped guide us on how to act during this crisis. Radio and television broadcast information and awareness about the virus. Social media posts are also full of information. Even the ring tone of our phone is about COVID-19 awareness urging us to stay safe. There are constant reminders to use masks and maintain social distancing.
However, I also feel overloaded with such news and updates. It is stressful to know about all of the people who have been infected. People are losing their family and friends. It is disheartening to learn about their grief and suffering. Besides, with this lockdown, many people are not getting food to eat because they can’t work. Suicide cases have increased during the lockdown. People have refused to be generous and help others due to the fear of transmission. These kinds of negative news sometimes compel me to turn off my phone. I feel like isolating myself and completely ignore the outside world.
The prevalence of fake news is another challenge. People deliberately spread misinformation, making it seem real. The fake news and myths people are sharing about COVID-19 on social media are confusing and add to the risk of the virus spreading. Not everyone can differentiate authentic news from fake news. I’m doing all I can to make my friends and family aware of such misinformation.
Things will not be the same for a long time. The cases are still increasing day by day. The lockdown since March is still in place. Even with social distancing, I can’t meet my friends and interact with others without the constant fear of the virus. It’s just hard to do. All these COVID-19 cases, lockdown, and social distancing are stressful. Not a single day passes by without me wishing that things to go back to normal.
How will the world look after this? I am sure this is a question that every one of us asks ourselves every single day. But for now, we have to learn to live with this new reality. Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst.