Write@Home
Winter 2015

COVID-19

Elderly grandmother in protective mask holding stick enjoying with granddaughter in park.

After the first case of Covid 19 in December 2019, people around the world did not expect how life would turn in 360° and the simplest things became the most desired. Also, not to forget the mask before leaving home and sanitize the hands are the practices as the same importance as having the driver´s license or a wallet in the handbag. These practices enforced until such time as when people don’t have to be concerned about keeping two meters of distance between unknown people in different places or how science can protect humans from different variants of the virus through immunization. Those are questions that scientists are still working on to prevent another wave.

Technology contributed to making life easier when people had to stay home to decrease the spread of the virus. Having a good internet connection was required to assist the online classes from kindergarten to university students. Also not losing the connection in the Zoom meeting was a challenge while many people worked from home. Shopping online was the best strategy to get clothes, technology, and home supplies. But a year after, plastic money is more useful than paying in cash and schools are getting ready to go back because people found that social life is necessary to have a good mental life.

The pandemic affected all the generations and families, but especially elderly people. Older adults were and are at high risk to get the virus so for this reason the restrictions for them were strong: do not have visitors in-home, long-term care or residential homes was the most important public health restriction. Definitely, they are now a more resilient group. A year after they have learned how to use technology and use social media to be connected with family members and trying to go back to normal life with some restrictions but with more hope to be healthy and take advantage of family time.

To sum up, life has been transformed in different ways. For instance, from the cinemas to living rooms, from public transport to the bicycles, from meeting rooms to Zoom meetings. We all learned that superheroes are not only in comics, but also are real people with different rolls and professions. After a year, we have all learned that each human being is important and that a hug and family time are the most precious and priceless gifts that each of us can have.