by Amelia Chong
For the past four months, this is what our home has looked like:
All across the world, our lives have been on halt for four long months. Checkpoints were set up, stores were temporarily closed, learning migrated online, and restrictions were implemented for everything, everywhere, and everyone. Once our situation has been labeled as a pandemic, the familiar, comforting space we call home has morphed into a prison. Like eager birds in a cage, all of us are waiting to break free and step out into the world once more.
So, imagine our delight when the world’s neon sign of ‘CLOSED’ was flipped over to display ‘RECOVERING’. Things were slowly reverting back to normal – or more precisely, the world has adopted a new definition of normal. In most parts of the world, such as my home country of Malaysia, people rejoiced at the possibility of returning to our regular lives after a painstakingly lengthy quarantine. It was the idea of ‘finally!’:
Finally, we get to meet up with friends beyond our devices; we get to be free of a routine that consists only of Netflix, eating, and sleeping; we get to step outside for a breath of fresh air; we get to feel more alive again.
We started returning to regular activities like dining out and shopping accompanied by Standard Operating Procedures such as temperature check-ins and the 6-feet rule. However, with the grips loosened, it seems like people are becoming less wary of the still-looming threat over our heads; the fact that a vaccine is still a work in progress has gone into one ear and shot out of the other.
We go out to the world and decide that we will live to the fullest to make up for lost time. We stop washing our hands as frequently as we used to. We put on our masks less often. We forget about the grim figure of doom that impatiently rang our doorbells just less than a month ago.
While ignorance is bliss, the aftermath of it is often not. Our actions will sadly, but surely, bring about a second wave of the Coronavirus that made us scorn the walls of our homes in the first place. With predictions that a second wave is impending, we are putting ourselves and our loved ones at risk by letting our guards down.
Prevention is better than cure. Although the world is turning on its lights again, we still have to be aware of our steps to minimize the damage that might bring about a second wave of dismay. Do not let the time and effort we’ve put into slowing the spread of the pandemic thus far go to waste.
From all of us at Getting It Strait, stay safe and stay alert.
