Today is the last day of 2020. Midnight marks the official end of the year the earth stood still. Not literally, obviously, but there were periods this year when the world was the quietest it has been since before the industrial revolution, if you discount the clicking of cellphones, tablets, computers and televisions, means by which billions of people stay connected and in the know.
The year 2020 was a memorable one for many reasons. Guyana endured the longest wait for election results in anyone’s immediate recall. The murder of George Floyd by white police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, sparked off worldwide protests under the Black Lives Matter banner against police brutality and systemised racism which actually saw some slight changes begin to be made to the status quo. Donald Trump was voted out as president of the United States after a single term, in an election that underscored just how little has changed in that country since the dawn of the civil rights movement in the 50s. What the year 2020 will be best remembered for, is that it was the year of the deadliest coronavirus to date.
COVID-19, which was initially presented as a cluster of cases of viral pneumonia in Wuhan, China around November/December 2019, was confirmed as an outbreak of a novel coronavirus in the first month of 2020. By the end of January, it had crossed borders, but countries were slow to respond, possibly because the number of infected cases was still relatively small, and the sheer magnitude of the damage this unknown disease could and did inflict, was difficult to properly assess. It was around mid-March that the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic, by which time the virus had already spread far and wide.
It was almost another month before the recommendations for strict lockdowns began to be put in place by countries, at which point more than 1 million people around the globe had been infected. Borders were closed to all but essential travel, which meant business trips, vacations and other leisure visits had to be cancelled. Medical and scientific personnel were allowed to travel, while some countries were still permitting the import and export of basic supplies, including food, drugs, and hospital equipment along with mail and items purchased online.
Around the world economies quickly shrivelled as businesses shut their doors, some indefinitely, others forever. Airplanes squatted on tarmacs, ships were moored in docks, retail stores and malls were shuttered, as hotels, restaurants, bars, movie theatres and amusement parks went into a form of hibernation. The Summer Olympics billed for Tokyo, Japan was pushed back a year, concerts were rescheduled or cancelled, and sporting events scratched off the calendar. Schools, universities and churches also could no longer function as before.
Millions of people in many countries whose occupations do not permit them to work offsite, found themselves either on furlough or severed. The watchwords of the day became ‘stay home and stay safe’, but unfortunately home was not a safe space for everyone. Too many women and girls were forced to weigh the risk of contracting COVID-19 against placing themselves in sure danger of abuse. Thousands died as a result of one choice or the other, neither being what was best for them.
Compelled to modify what had been considered normal up to the end of 2019, folks cooked, baked, crafted, sewed, gardened, and some quick adaptors morphed into entrepreneurs offering goods and services while maintaining the requisite social distance. They also breathed, meditated, taught, learned, listened, comforted and renewed friendships and acquaintances, as suddenly there was now time to do all that their busy schedules had previously not permitted.
And as the cacophony quieted, the earth appeared to take a deep breath. Smog cleared in some places allowing folks to see the stars. Animals explored quieted streets and wildlife returned to certain areas. In April, daily carbon emissions were reported to be down 17%. In addition, according to the Earth Institute at Columbia University, though temporary, there were reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions, as well as ozone creation and particulate matter. On the flip side, with countries and the international community throwing everything they could muster at curbing the spread of COVID-19, important climate change goals were placed on the backburner. While there is no empirical evidence as yet to measure this unwanted spinoff, the wanton discarding of disposable masks, plastic gloves and personal protective equipment indicates that a backward step has been taken with regard to keeping plastics out of the environment.
In some countries, where the public health and social measures to suppress COVID-19 were swift, decisive, enforced, and adhered to, the numbers of the sick and dying plateaued then curved downward to allow for them to reopen businesses and in some instances borders. In other places they were reopened without the benefit of any reduction in the cases of illness or death, driven by sheer ignorance, need and sometimes avarice. At this rate, COVID-19 will still be rampant perhaps for much of 2021, even as vaccines roll out around the world.
It is said that hindsight is 20/20, perhaps folks will look back at the year 2020 and come to the realisation that they should have been a sight more cautious, or maybe they will just continue to turn a blind eye. Not everyone grasps the lesson as it is being taught, but that’s okay. Having made it this far means there is still a chance to get their focus right in 2021. Happy New Year. 1
