Social Distancing, Quarantine and Everything in Between

Salma Ahmed

Editor-in-Chief 

With the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, the world has been experiencing a lot of disruption to what was normal life just a mere few weeks ago. From routines thwarted to relationships broken, the spread of the pandemic has forced most people to alter the way they lead their lives.  

It’s been six days since Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced the suspension of all schools and universities for a two-week period, as a precaution to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.  

The suspension of schools implies the seriousness of the pandemic yet not many on the street are taking the COVID-19 virus seriously.

As wise responsible adults around the world some people have taken the decision to stay at home for a two-week period or until the coronavirus is no longer spreading as quickly and as fatally. Some, on the other hand, decided to take the two weeks off as a break, as a time for socializing and going out to enjoy their time off. 

Their selfish acts have definitely played a role in the spread of the virus, in the increase in deaths resulting from the coronavirus and and the increase of cases of people being infected. 

The government has in tandem with Saudi Arabian clerics taken the decision to halt for now Friday prayers. Popular meeting places such as cafes and restaurants will be shut down from 7pm to 6am, and shisha has been banned.

With an amount of people in quarantine, including myself, the earth has been experiencing more self-reflection than usual. With nothing to keep us overworked and sleep deprived the luxury of free time loses its appeal. 

People have taken to social media platforms to express their craving for social interactions, their craving for affection and their craving for the things they more than often complained about. The routine, the norm, the things we have grown so used to doing that we stopped appreciating. 

Many pictures circulated of Egypt during the time of quarantine. Pictures of people flooding supermarkets stocking up on goods, pictures of people giving others odd stares because they chose to wear face masks but what resonated with me the most was that of two lovers taking advantage of the nearly abandoned streets.

In a country that often frowns on public displays of affection, it made sense why a picture like that was quick to go viral.

This pandemic seems to have put a lot of non-platonic relationships to the test, those living together started seeing a lot more of each other with no warning, testing relationships that once were only surviving because both parties rarely saw each other due to their busy schedules. 

Then, there are those in serious relationships, but yet to take the step to live together. So the whole quarantine thing resulted in depriving them from that closeness. 

And finally, there are those who just started something new, which they are so optimistic about. But they can’t go on a second date because the virus has deprived them from that privilege. Zoomify your love?

It is not often one meets someone they connect with, but it is often one ruins their chances with such a great person over the fear of rejection or the fear of not being good enough. Other times, however, the whole cliche ‘right person, wrong time’ thing comes into play and we have to let go of a great person because the timing wasn’t right. 

Maybe this pandemic is a time for us to test the waters and take a chance because we have absolutely nothing to lose. In the comfort of our own homes, texting, calling and video chatting, we start craving something, that we suddenly realize that a certain person possesses. 

Sometimes, there’s only one way to find out, by taking a leap. 

The pandemic has had an impact on most things, people losing their jobs, the environment clearing up and most prominently lives being taken away from their loved ones. Which begs the question if a person lacks loved ones, is his life lost in vain?

It is often asked if a tree falls and no one is around to see it, did it really fall? Same goes for people, if a person dies and no one mourns their death, did they ever live? Is a life without people loving you worth living, can it even be called a life? 

Accomplishments and achievements aside, a person’s life stripped down is the product of those who loved them, which is why the increasing number of lives the virus is taking is alarming. It doesn’t matter who they were or what they did, all that matters is that they are currently being mourned and prayed for. 

So, while you’re stuck in quarantine, with your only source of entertainment being all that is within the four walls of your house, check out The Caravan’s latest online articles to make your time off less daunting. Write us, let us know how you’re coping in the Age of Corona.

In the meantime, spare a thought for those elderly, those who are immunocompromised, those who are less privileged and may not have access to the food and medicine currently being hoarded.

On Wednesday morning, Chair of the Political Science Department Rabab El Mahdi was detained for protesting outside the Cabinet building in Downtown Cairo, calling for the government to take better measures against COVID-19 in prisons.  

She was released the next day.