When I thought it was far from me, it sort of caught up with me

 My Coronavirus Experience

I first heard of the coronavirus back on the rig, where I work during a weekly health and safety meeting organised by the rig medic whilst on board. At the time, he was trying to educate the crew on how deadly the virus was and the safety precautions to take to avoid contracting the virus. I know for sure that my colleagues and I didn’t pay attention to a word of what he said, besides it looked so far off and it looked like an Asian virus. In the same manner, Africans had to deal with Ebola, I felt this was a test for the Asians, so why bother me with it.

Approximately 8 weeks down the line, WHO described the virus as a global pandemic virus & life within a whisk of an eye came to a standstill. Airports were shutting down, borders were being closed whilst cities and major towns were going in lock-down mode. The virus that looked far off had indeed affected my life. I had to purchase hand sanitizers, face mask & gloves at exorbitant prices that I never thought that I would. Some of my colleagues from the Asian countries were not permitted to travel back to work. Fortunately for me, I was part of the few who were allowed to travel back to work, and I did so geared up in face mask and gloves on the flight. Little did I know that wearing face mask and gloves would be the new NORMAL.

I got to my destination thinking I could return to work and carry on with my daily activities but the State had other ideas. I was placed under a fourteen day quarantine and self-isolation to make sure I wasn’t carrying the virus. As today marks the 12th day of my fourteen day quarantine, I’d like to express my deepest condolences to families, communities and nations that have lost their loved ones to the virus. I also pray for a speedy recovery for all those who have been infected & I’d like to encourage people who are still in denial and think the virus is still far off to reconsider their thoughts and adhere to the safety precautions. The Coronavirus or the covid-19 is real & its spreading like wildfire all over the world and it’s certainly not far from anyone.

At this point, where there’s no vaccine to combat the virus yet, our only hope is to trust in our Maker. We need to have faith that by practicing social distancing, regular hand-washing with soap under running water, maintaining high standards of personal hygiene and eating lots fruits and vegetables to boost our immune system we  will be able to combat the virus. Let’s all stay at home and trust the health care services to do their jobs & stop the spread of the coronavirus. For now, I am catching up on old habits such as writing, reading, watching movies and resting while under compulsory isolation.

C.A Danso,

Doha.

25/03/2020