COVID-19 | But I Smile Anyway...

It seems the whole COVID-19 has got my poetic juices flowing, in a kind of stream of consciousness way…

#CoronaVerses

Self-isolating will be easy
If we ever need to, it seems
We tend to do it regularly
In a house of tweens and teens
 
Right now, I’m gracing the sofa,
Hubby’s upstairs, chilling in our room
Lil Man is on his laptop
Li Princess in her own little vacuum
 
The only difference, I think, will be
New supplies of anti-bac,
Regularly bleached surfaces
(By me - they don’t seem to have the knack)
 
The importance of handwashing
Has been truly hammered home
And cleaning down their electronics,
Especially their phones
 
If you’re going to cough, then I insist
Into your elbow or a tissue
And please make sure that when you’re done
Put it in the bin or I’ll take issue
 
Not quite sure what to say about
The necessity of toilet roll
Still, at least we have some
So I guess we shouldn’t moan
 
Every morning, recently, I’ve been
Greeted with one query
“Is today the day that schools are shut?”
My response makes them less cheery
 
“Not yet my loves, your school’s still on
No extended hols just yet”
They really don’t seem to realise
Just how fed up they’ll get
 
As panic ensues out in the shops
And crazed buyers empty shelves
They really should take stock
And be ashamed of themselves
 
For as they buy that extra pack
Of toilet roll, or wipes
That’s one less roll for someone else
Why are you buying all the hype?
 
Think sensibly, buy cautiously
Just make sure you have enough
And, maybe check on others
Who might be finding it tough
 
We’re all set, in case we’re told
To have a lengthy bunk-in
I’ve got my books and chocolate
And plenty of Pink Gin!
 
 Ritu 2020

Seriously, Peeps, I don’t wish to make light of this pandemic that is affecting us all out there.

Keep up the extra vigilant hygiene, be careful of where you are putting your hands, and cough into your elbow if you need to.

Don’t go crazy with panic buying. Don’t worry, the shops should get better soon, the panic buyers should go into hibernation with all their extra stock.

Check up on the vulnerable that you are aware of, especially if they live alone.

And I found this graphic, which is a good basic indication of symptoms, in comparison to colds and flu. I hope it helps to keep people a little calmer.

Stay safe, all my beautiful warriors. We got this, we can fight it!

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 262 – Viral Positivity

“What you think, you become.
What you feel, you attract.
What you imagine, you create.”
Buddha

Thank you, Spidey, for this. I think we all need to read, absorb and act upon this quote, especially right now.

So… heard of Covid-19, or Coronavirus? If you haven’t then where have you been the last couple of months???

For some it has become the biggest shadow in their lives.

And it looks like the panic is definitely setting in here, in the UK.

From people wanting to buy and wear masks when outside, to the supermarkets displaying empty shelves as people dive into panic buy mode, it is crazy.

It’s true. I went to do my normal shop last night, and thought I’d pick up some hand sanitizer whilst there so the kids could keep one in their pockets. But the shelves were BARE! There was no handwash, pasta was almost gone (Funny, even in panic buy mode, people won’t buy wholewheat pasta!) and the toilet roll was pretty much gone. ( I wasn’t aware that excessive tiolet going was a symptom?). And that is the picture that is being shown across pretty much all supermarkets at the moment.

If you so much as cough or clear your throat, you see people giving you a wide berth.

At school parents are asking if we are closing for some time.

It’s like no one is willing to think positively. Instead they grab the news and twist it into the worst picture possible.

It will be an EPIDEMIC!

We will all end up ill!

And Chinese Whispers don’t help, either. There was a rumour that a child in a local school had been sent home with the virus. My mother in law told me.

Really? I work in a school. We would be told of that immediately, and action plans set in motion, if that was the case.

But one of the local shop keepers had said it, so it must be true!

I checked online, and the story was that a child, displaying no symptoms of illness, was found to have been in contact with another friend, from outside our town, whose family member may have tested positive. The child was sent home to self isolate as a precaution, and get tested, but the school was not shutting, or going into deep clean.

Reassuring the in-laws that we were safe, I was then not surprised to hear others in the Indian community here, spreading the story. (Obviously the shopkeeper had been busy informing customers!) It had changed into there were two cases IN OUR SCHOOL! Someone asked me what the contingency plan was now.

I looked at this parent and had to stop myself from rolling my eyes, then told her that no, there was no cases in the school and if there were, it would be highly likely that the whole place would have been shut down for deep cleaning… so she would have known!

Seriously, it’s like people are just wishing for the worst to happen.

I am trying hard to stay positive about it all.

Yes, there is a chance that we will shut schools for a couple of weeks, if the Government advise it. But not at the moment. Things are just continuing as normal. We’re taking the opportunity to reiterate personal hygeine at school, in a roundabout way, without scaring the kids. Making handwashing a necessary fun activity.

I don’t plan to be ill, so I’ll do or not do all that we have been advised to do, or not do.

I’ll try to keep spreading positive messages to those around me, and quash feelings of fear as much as I can.

I’ll hope for a town that escapes the LURGY!

I know it’s scary.

It’s a new virus that is mutating regularly. But it still isn’t a worse killer than the flu.

In most cases, it is a mild cough or cold that clears up. Those at risk are the elderly and those with underlying health issues. They are also at risk from any other cold, flu or virus too.

The biggest things you can do are:

Not panic.

Wash your hands.

Don’t unnecessarily touch your face.

Live life as normal unless you have been told otherwise.

PLEASE!

So… tell me, how is the coronavirus affecting where you live?

Have a peaceful, healthy Sunday Peeps. And enjoy your week! ❤