Mute swan taking off in a pond. These animals need to run on the surface of the water before flying, and for now so do we. Photo by Bárbara Guimarães

 

Do we feel well enough to venture out to the supermarket? Should we work from home if possible or could we work just a few days a week at the office to help with productivity? To keep social distancing is to be at a distance of 1.5 m in the Netherlands but 2 m in the UK. If someone sneezes, how far out can that person be for us to feel safe? Are we far enough from each other in the queues or during our daily walk? Wash your hands regularly – how often? Should we touch the gate near our house to go for a walk into the fields? How often should we sanitize our hands when outside? Should we cancel the plans with our friends or can we see friends but keep our distance? What about a barbeque outside with the nice weather? Wear masks - is this really necessary? Questions like these are certainly asked by many people. Regarding masks, my father and I would say definitely. We have to wear masks when outside or at work. Luxemburg and Germany have already taken the lead and implemented face masks. 

 

Many weeks have gone past and it seems difficult for all of us to know how many weeks we have been home or even what day of the week it is. Routine keeps us going. Waking up early, breakfast and a change of clothes, and sitting down for another day at work. Our arms, neck, wrists and, knees hurt from sitting all day, from our repetitive movements at the computer. 

 

However, this is nothing compared to what our ancestors went through. Through war, through hunger, hiding from the enemy, and worrying constantly about life or death. Whilst our fathers and brothers went to war, we were obliged to stay at home to minimize loss of life. 

 

Most of us have a home, a family, food in the fridge and the cupboards, internet, a bed to sleep in and if not, the government, your family, your friends, and nurses and physicians are there and want to help. 

 

There is no human enemy here, nobody to attack. COVID-19 is a virus, a particle that is not even defined as a living organism. This is not a war, it is something we should unite for and act together for. 

 

We should respect our health workers who put their lives at risk for us – to save us. We can save them by staying at home. Our appreciation should be to at least to follow the rules to prevent getting the virus. 

 

We feel stuck, isolated. Are we really? In our society, this is how many people live their lives, working from home, moving from country to country, and being far away from their family and loved ones. 

 

News flair that people are rebelling against isolation when moral education at school taught me that in rules there is freedom. When people follow the rules, we can all have the freedom to appreciate things. If we all wear masks in public, follow social distancing, wash our hands regularly, avoid touching common surfaces and isolate if we feel unwell, we are creating a safer environment for us and for everyone. 

 

Follow the rules so that we can appreciate freedom and health in the near future. Nature is returning in full bloom and so can we.

 

Bárbara 

Bárbara Guimarães is a Portuguese Biologist and PhD student in the Netherlands