The year 2020 started with wildfires raging in Australia, followed by political unrest in Hong Kong and a forced lockdown in Kashmir, which later spread all around the world but the reason was a lot different than what happened in Kashmir.

The global lockdown experienced by the world was due to a virus named “Covid-19”, which started from China and spread around the globe in no time. Initially, people were unaware of how contagious and deadly it was.

Soon, people all over Earth started being diagnosed with the virus. When the virus was getting out of hands, the governments realised the threat it carried and decided on lockdown measures, with nations around the world going into lockdown at the same time.

However, as finding a cure for new diseases takes time, the WHO declared that self-isolation, wearing of masks, lockdowns and social distancing were the only ways to prevent it until the cure. Gradually, the whole world was locked down. Schools, offices, malls, parks and tourism was closed and the world shifted to the internet. Shopping, studies, office work everything was done online. People started online ventures.

However, it had a lot of positive effects as well. It became clear that nothing was impossible if we decide upon it and have a will to do it. Thus, many people tried to cope with the new way of living while maintaining social distancing, and relied more on virtual interactions only.

Students learned how to carry on with their studies online and it gave them an opportunity to choose an online field for their careers. Everyone got a big chance to do something new just by sitting at homes in front of gadgets with a positive thought in minds. People around the globe had an opportunity to spend quality time with their families.

Despite having positive impacts, this had many negative effects on the world as well. This was probably the first time people were ever forced to stay in their houses for months. People became anxious and depressed, the reason being their irregular routines and financial issues. Moreover, people with a Corona-19 patient in their homes had to undergo severe mental stress.

Furthermore, due to lockdown, children had little to do and got addicted to their devices and started wasting their time, which could have been used on some quality activities, etc. Addiction of something is not good for mental health, hence some gaming and social apps, such as Pubg, were banned in some countries.

Everything must come to an end sooner or later, and so goes for this deadly virus. Hopefully, life will return to normal with, of course, some vibrant changes but till that time comes, we have to take precautions in order to save ourselves and the people around us from this virus. Small acts such as washing hands, sanitising and practicing social distancing may save many souls from terrible virus and other diseases as well.

So far, there has been no cure, but a Dutch philosopher once said “Prevention is better than cure” so we must carry on with all the precautions.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 26th, 2020