The pandemic placed everyone on edge. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has been ravaging different countries around the world for more than a year as of the writing of this article. The virus has victimized more than 128 million people. Sadly, it has claimed 2.8 million people’s lives. The virus affected more than 200 countries around the world. No person is safe.
The virus has cornered more people in their homes more than any other event in recent history. Because of the nature of the disease and its symptoms, people are advised to stay inside their homes and stay away from other people. The virus is extremely contagious at all stages. You can also be contagious with the virus yourself, even if you are not displaying any symptoms. Asymptomatic carriers are the ones blamed for different outbreaks in the world. Even with face masks, physical distancing, and contact tracing, no solution can otherwise save the world unless people stay home.
For believers of science, staying home has been their primary contribution to slowing down the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, the lockdown restrictions have been driving everyone to the end of their wits. Isolation is causing stress to people. Lack of real-life socialization with friends and people, in general, is becoming unhealthy. Persons are not suited for an isolated lifestyle or setup. We thrive on being social beings.
Even if things are getting out of hand and slightly more depressing as the days go by, there are a million things we should celebrate even in a time of the pandemic. Time to bring out your customized vinyl banners and bring in the cake as I give you the ultimate reasons you should celebrate today.
The vaccines are ready
News regarding vaccines is one of the most welcome news we’ve had in the past year. Because of the urgency of the problem, vaccine discovery and production were accelerated to speed hitherto unheard of. With the vaccines already in the distribution phase, the hope for things to return to normal is slowly becoming a reality for many first-world nations. Hopefully, everyone else follows suit.
You are safe
While you were stuck inside for more than a few months, there is no better reason to celebrate your lock-down anniversary than to know that you have been safe the whole time. Many have become unfortunate to encounter such a life-threatening disease. Many have used up all their savings just for the hospitalization expenses. You are fortunate to be making it out of this year unscathed. You being safe this whole time is a perfect reason to celebrate even in a time of a pandemic.
Job security
If you are part of the lucky portion of the population who still kept his or her job even while businesses all over are closing down, then consider yourself lucky. Job security was a rare thing in 2020. Millions upon millions of people became either homeless or jobless this past year. Thousands of businesses were forced to close down and retrench many people because not enough money was going around. People preferred to keep the money saved up for themselves for their own necessities.
As a result, businesses selling luxuries had to close down. The other firms, however, were mindful of their employees. Most employers, however, pushed their employees to work from home for pandemic reasons. Consider yourself privileged and lucky if you got to keep your job and are working at home.
Healthcare workers
Your healthcare workers are doing all the fighting for you. Everyone is fortunate that we have healthcare workers fighting the good fight for us, even against an invisible enemy. These workers are operating under a very dangerous and hazardous working condition. They will never know whether they are also infected until it is too late. Healthcare workers deserve all the praise, and their sacrifice must be celebrated.
Family time
With the pandemic keeping everyone at home, every second is family time. While juggling responsibility at home can be difficult for all working members of your family, one of the upsides of working from home is you get to keep yourself busy. You can dedicate the remainder of your time to just you and your family alone. If you are at odds with your other family members, there is no better time to make amends than during the pandemic home lockdown.
Celebrations are especially more important in a pandemic. Gratitude for even the smallest things is vital to keep your sanity in check. While the pandemic has forced us to always keep on guard, celebrations can help remind us of the bright future we have after the pandemic.
Story by Manas Kundu
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