I was grocery shopping sometime last week when I heard a commotion at the till point.
There was a little old lady ready to throw a fit because the person behind her wasn’t following the social distance sticker on the floor.
The lady, (who on a normal day wouldn’t have been as red in the face) looked like she was ready to hit somebody – and that should tell you something considering how tiny she was.
Next thing, she violently shoved her trolley between herself and the person next in line, to maintain some distance.
Anyway, you may think it wasn’t much of a big deal, but after some thought I figured that she may have had a point.
Our country has been in lockdown for close to nine months, nine tumultuous months at that.
I don’t doubt that these were the most taxing times for all of us.
Signage all around reminding us to ‘sanitise!’ and to ‘wear a mask’.
I even remember a five-year old reminding me to ‘social distance myself” – her words.
I remember constantly checking the stats, diligently listening to our president address us and crossing my fingers in the hopes that we would soon rid our country of the virus.
There was a point where our recoveries were increasing, new infections and fatalities were decreasing.
That was the first moment in all these months that I had real faith that we would beat this virus.
Fast forward to the present moment where all my hope dissipates every time I find myself at the supermarket.
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My gripe is this, if a five-year old understands the concept of social distancing, how do we as adults not?
Most supermarkets have clearly marked spaces for you to stand behind while in the queue, ensuring a 1.5 metre distance – seemingly simple to follow.
My question therefore is, how do we eradicate the virus when people are breathing down each others’ necks while standing in line?
There is a misconception that the virus is gone. Friends, the reality is that infections have spiked.
This ‘new normal’ has been a difficult transition for us all – people have lost loved ones, lost their jobs, been away from their family for months and put so many things on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
My point is that we cannot flatten the curve when only a small portion of people are playing their part. We need to be realistic and work together.
With the festive season approaching, we all want to be with our families and friends – especially considering the rollercoaster that this year has been.
My only advice is that we all proceed with caution, and please, stop ignoring the sticker on the supermarket floor!
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