At the announcement that the seven-week string of Covid-19 cases was broken, the whole nation breathed a sigh of relief. The elation was visible in faces of the Public Health Superintendent and the Health Minister, even while they cautioned that the tide has not yet turned.
The Prime Minister teased that everyone must prepare for a ‘new normality’ until all restrictions are lifted, and life starts picking up from where it left off earlier this year. We certainly cannot put the emergency behind us just yet, but that moment of belief on Sunday gave us a glimpse into the future we imagine: the people we long to embrace, the places we wish to visit, the habits we want to revive.
We must not get too far ahead of ourselves, though, because the situation in Malta and around the world is still highly volatile and the World Health Authority warns that we are in for the long haul. Nonetheless, many countries around Europe are shifting temperament and it feels people have started warming up for the big day.
Before it all ends, and we are thrust into the frenzy of recovery, let us take the time to appreciate our temporary world. This is a unique period in history – a peacetime war on society – which we will undoubtedly carry forward into the human consciousness.
The general sentiment of loss and devastation; the unyielding number of casualties; the crash in businesses, industries and sectors; the growing mental health issues; the added pressure on the economically vulnerable. The pandemic extracts a global suffering that everyone hopes will never return again.
But there were also the surprising miracles all along the way. We witnessed a sense of duty when a few months ago we would have argued that the value no longer holds. There were countless acts of kindness and charity in a society that has shown itself increasingly selfish. Old bonds were rediscovered, new friendships born; celebrities, icons and influential people have allowed their humanity to come out from behind their manufactured personas; leaders made way for specialists in their fields; business rivals got together to pursue common solutions.
As eagerly as we await the end of the crisis, a part of us is going to miss it. Let us make the most of the time we have left to explore this novel strand of human life.
