This is the month, a year ago, people stopped coughing in fear they would be labelled as having Covid 19. First it was numbers then it became names of people we know. This pandemic has taken our loved ones, created misery in homes, breadwinners being out of work. Zoom meetings have become the new norm. Last seen my relatives about six months ago. We used to say negatively about Michael Jackson wearing a mask, but here we are.
The pandemic affected the global economy from Tourism, Production to retail. If office workers in particular, work from home, there are less customers at Starbucks during lunch hour. If High School students do not go to School, Mac Donald’s is affected, there is no lunch money at students’ disposal. It has pushed a lot of people to forex trading, for passive income. In Nigeria young adults were making so much profit from trading and not taxed. So, on February 5, the Central Bank of Nigeria put a ban on exchange of cryptocurrency and directed banks to close accounts trading in crypto. Ecommerce sustained, buying, and selling from amazon and eBay became the new ‘hustle’. This pandemic has taught people financial discipline, you cannot just spend unaware when and where you would get your next money. It has taught people concoctions of remedies. Bonding with immediate family. Though, on the other hand Cultural traditions were compromised, funerals with 30 people, weddings with 15. Who do you invite and who do you not. Body viewing not recommended on corpses with Covid cases, no handshakes, and no hugs.
It was interesting to social distance at the Airport and still have the same seating arrangement in the plane. It was a step towards the right direction to have the rapid test centres at the Airport. However there has to be more, considering the traffic of travellers. The normal test is two days between your test and your results. What guarantees that you are negative as you present your certificate at check in. I suppose the Airlines and regulators bank on your behaviour. What if all airlines had their own testing centres, such that when you test, your results are sent to the airline and when you check in, they already know your results. Why I say this is, at check in, the person checking you in has to look at your boarding pass, your passport, your passenger locator if you are going to England and your Covid test. This is for more than a hundred people.
What makes the airlines certain that all the passengers are negative based on only the certificate. Alternatively, countries can have Covid test centres in other countries for passengers coming into their country. Such that at entry you hold a certificate that is recognised by the country you are visiting. Also, it can help those countries fundraise by having a percentage on all the fees. If you are positive at the rapid Covid testing centre at the airport, what happens?
It is better now that there is a vaccine. A notable number have died after taking the vaccine. Though, in the week ending 20 February, WHO said the number of new coronavirus cases had declined by 16 percent worldwide. At this point, the UK had reached a milestone of 16 million front liners vaccinated with the first dose. Dubai: UAE along with other nine countries including China and Hungary have vaccinated their citizens with the Sinopharm vaccine. Which is cited to be 86% effective and has been used on 43 million people. It is said to not cause a severe experience. However, others have still expressed that they will not get it. We owe it to ourselves to research the benefits vs side effects. The plans, for the pandemic to be manageable, the elite countries have been donating vaccines to developing countries in support. Analysts think it is out of selfish reasons, so that there is no new variant and for travel purposes. Critics from the receiving end are not satisfied to receive with no breakdown and analysis of the vaccine. The general public have been used to vaccines to be effective after a while of trial. It seemed to them the vaccine came too early, so they could be guinea pigs. And the mistrust is from such as, The Tuskegee syphilis Experiment of 1932, people were more scared of the vaccine than the actual virus. We should also consider that technology has made things evolve quicker than the past. Also, what we should not overlook is, despite having taken the vaccine we could keep spreading the virus if we do not continue to follow the precautions. There is no evidence that any of the current Covid-19 vaccines can completely stop people from being infected.
The attitude towards Covid among us, is that it is like, ‘flu that went to private school’. Many people are claiming that, during this whole period they have not had a flu. The vaccine is like the flu jab. Then everything will be back to normal. In the meantime, those that die, have a low immune system and/or underlying illnesses. People died with positive results, not, to positive results. I personally think we are being infected then self-isolate; the test becomes negative. Then we are back into the playground. We get re- infected, same story.
The more we get re-infected the more we get closer to God. Our way of thinking is it will end, it will be manageable. We need to make each other understand that this virus is airborne which means we have little control measures to reduce it. Social distancing and wearing masks have shown to be a challenge as people continue to think, if you are confident to get next to me with or without a mask, it means you do not have it and you think I do not have it, ok I do not have it. It is like the attitude towards unprotect sex, where people do the Virtual Aids Test.
A perspective from those who may have seen the pearly gates, say that it is not a good experience. We can re-think of a way forward and empower one another through preaching the word that this pandemic is affecting our mortality rate and livelihood. Covid Tears project by House of Africa was a magnificent programme that showcased survivors of Covid telling their story and what they thought could help towards others who could be affected.
I do not understand why curfews were imposed to control Covid when in fact they cause congestion since everyone has little time to do everything. In as much as the idea is to reduce time spent in public, stay home. Just strictly enforce social distancing, masking, and sanitising and allow those who want to shop at 10am to avoid mixing and mingling to do so. Do not yet open bars, restaurants etc, in these areas social distancing is compromised. Till 21 June is good enough time to observe how the vaccine works before opening the floodgates to event gatherings in the UK. Curfews cause lots of anxiety and once lifted or relaxed everyone just wants to jump right in and make up for lost time. A more effective way around it is, penalty on those not wearing masks and everything else is secondary. In Indonesia there is a push up penalty where if found not wearing a mask, you do 15 push ups. Hit them where it hurts, they will act. I support the idea of mandatory Self Isolate for ten days in a hotel. It makes one think twice on traveling and it helps maintain the Hotel Industry afloat during this pandemic. Weekly tests are enforced in some hospitals, once you are positive, self-isolate. I have spoken to a few Nurses who have said they are now more cautious because they lost a lot of working hours self-isolating. The concern is work, for livelihood. Hit them where it hurts, they will act.
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