Sebastian Onciu
Until this year the first days of spring used to have a great significance for me as I associated them with an explosion of sights, smells and sounds generated by the awakening of nature after several supposedly harsh winter months. The slightly warm days in which the still mild sunrays gently caressed the ground symbolized the beginning of a new cycle and a celebration of life and nature in its entire splendor, so I was looking forward to going out and enjoying some truly unforgettable weekends by exploring the revival of nature and the various forms in which it manifests itself in this usually wonderful season.
Unfortunately, things have changed dramatically in the spring of 2020. Even if nature is still following its course and the first signs of the real spring are showing, I can’t enjoy these days any longer. The lovely singing of birds, the flowers and the symphony of colors they bring about, the freshness of the air after the rain, which used to fill me with joy and lust for life, pale compared to the grim reality of these past few weeks in which a terrible enemy, known officially as COVID-19, is making our lives worse every day.
Up to several weeks ago the Coronavirus threat still seemed a little distant to me, but then, as the cases of infection în Italy skyrocketed in just a couple of weeks, I became more and more aware of how serious this threat is for everyone, and a few days ago, when a person In my town who had recently returned from Italy was suspected of having contracted the terrible virus, I really felt shivers down my spine. I was relieved the next day after finding out that the man’s results of Coronavirus tests were negative, but I also realized how easily this new virus can spread. It may not be the deadliest one mankind had been confronted with, but its infectiousness makes it truly frightening!
This dark reality we all have to deal with sooner or later has made me realize that this will almost certainly be the worst spring of my life. I can only imagine one thing that would be worst than a pandemic, and that could be another world war, but I hope that mankind will be wise enough not to reach that point during my lifetime. It’s hard to smile and have a good time when you live under the constant threat of a virus for which there is no cure yet, and the thought that you might get the virus and, even if it manifests mildly in your case, you might unknowingly pass it to people who are older or who have a weak immune system is truly worrying.
It seems that for the time being the best solution to reduce the risk of getting infected is to stay at home as much as possible, and if things go really bad in my country(there are 38 cases of COVID-19 infections at the moment I’m writing this article, but the number is beginning to grow quite fast) I can expect nothing but bad things to happen this spring. Any travel plans are useless at the moment and I can only think of restrictions, isolation, extreme caution or cancellation of any entertaining social activity as measures that will or might happen in the upcoming months in the desperate attempt to keep the Coronavirus at a distance. In a way, it’s going to be an unforgettable season for me as well, but sadly for all the wrong reasons, so what about you, my friends? Are you enjoying your spring?
I hope this comment finds you and yours safe.
Yes, we’re all safe and we’re trying to stay out of trouble. It’s hard for all of us, but I am convinced that we’ll live to see the end of this nightmare.
Unfortunately, things are getting worse every day. Letțs hope that the draconic measures taken by the authorities in many countries will be effective and manage to slow down the spreading of the dreaded virus.
This virus has spread with varying intensity and Italy takes second place to China India is slowly getting noticed with around 69 cases.
The whole world is in mourning so to say.
These are dark times for the entire world, indeed. I expect things to get a lot of worse for several weeks before the drastic measures taken these days show their positive effects, just like they did in China.