My name is Abhay. I’m a citizen of India working in the IT field. The first time I heard about the COVID-19 virus was at the end of January 2020. When the government conveyed information about the intimidation of this infection I didn’t care much about it because I thought it was similar to the conditions like H1N1 and the Ebola virus. I thought nothing was different aside from sniffling into our elbows rather than our hands.
Most news coverages focused on the impact the virus had in Wuhan, China. It was late February when I became more worrisome about the severity of the coronavirus. News about the speed of the infection spread in Northern Italy started to circulate. Then in March, everything changed completely! Things weren’t the same as they were earlier.
During the third week of March, the government imposed a lockdown immediately, considering the severity of the virus. However, I guess there were some sentiments at that time that things would go back to normal in a short time. March 22, was the date the Indian government made an official announcement. The sequence of events that followed after this announcement changed the landscape of the world and everything was shutdown.
By the middle of April, I became used to our new living conditions. Words like social distancing became present in the mind of every member of society. In all honesty, I think everyone followed some of the social distancing rules. Everyone wishes for things to go back to normal, but I’m okay with sacrificing our liberties for the benefit of our society. I was lucky enough that the lockdown of our economy has not impacted our finances. I worked from home to ensure that I cooperate, following the rules set by the government.
As a self-taught historian, it was a fascinating time from an analytical view of our society. One of the engaging elements is the coordination of the government with its citizens. It bought up questions about the capabilities of our government to understand human needs. By late June, protests against the limitations imposed by the government began to transpire. I don’t know if this situation was only in India, where there was a significant debate about opening unnecessary services, like opening liquor shops rather than daily requirements. In India, most of the population work on daily wages. The moral question was about prioritizing the survival of our economy over the cost of losing human lives.
At this particular moment, it is tough to contextualize the impact of COVID-19. One thing that ensured from this historical event is that things will never go back again as they once used to be. I would also like to share some of the positive aspects of a global pandemic coronavirus.
First, I think circumstances like the one we live in draw out the most exceedingly awful and best human cooperations. As someone who has lived in Chandigarh, India, for most of my life with more traffic, the city experience which caused more pollution in the air quality. I believe nature has undoubtedly benefited from a decline in actions that hurt our environment. This experience also taught me to cherish the little things in life that we take for granted.
I’ve learned that adapting to the conditions is the best form of survival. As the second wave of coronavirus begins in the country, we cannot predict the future. Now the people are not as severe as they were earlier. Most of them are not wearing masks or following the guidelines set by the government.
I believe that humanity has the power to adapt and create a positive change. Also, I am sure together we can overcome this situation.
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