How do you move on from a COVID-19 nightmare?

The update announced as of this writing by the Supreme Committee went viral as most of their announcements always do.

Parks and beaches are finally opened. Access to cinemas, health clubs and for a country like Oman, the visas, whether the family joining one or for tourists, which had been long-awaited are now allowed.

It felt like a glimmer of hope, like a sign that Oman is finally moving past the prison that Covid19 has created towards a future that is a little bit optimistic.

Nobody comes out of the Covid19 era unscathed. Whether it’s losing a family member or a friend or losing a job, what everyone has gone through was traumatic and taxing, financially, emotionally and physically. It’s easy to understand why some fall into despair and it could take years to get back what we’ve lost.

While we will be free and out and about, many of us will look at each other with suspicion. We will all cringe when somebody sneezes in a distance. We will all worry about what foreign particles we bring home at the end of the day. We will be this way for a while and that’s okay. If there is something we should learn from this nightmare, it’s that our ultimate weapon of choice is our caution.

While the majority found the latest SC update as a source of joy, others have their reservations. Some misconstrued the new re-openings as an announcement that Covid19 has finally been defeated but it wasn’t. Discussions online sometimes turn vicious. Understandably, those who had been badly afflicted constantly remind others that while all movement and activities are finally nearly allowed, Covid19 still lingers — like a dangerous snake just waiting to pounce. With many of them commenting from a place of pain, it’s easy to see how disagreements escalate quickly.

While there is hope in the vaccine, things still have high chances of getting worst. If people throw caution to the wind and act with nonchalance, the Sultanate can still face a second wave that is more devastating than the first just like how the United Kingdom declared a lockdown several weeks back because the numbers kept growing.

While it’s easier for others to move about freely with not a care in the world, there are still those struggling with the idea of how to move on post-Covid19.

The world of social media is still clearly divided between those who are rearing to go and move on and those who are still adamant because of the threat. One notable comment I read online says that while Oman has opened up nearly all of its activities, it opened the door as well for the re-ignition of the malady that is the corona. The negative weighs just as heavily as the positive. The good news always trailed by a ‘potential’ bad news which made me wonder: Will people ever move on from Covid19 or has it made a terrible mark that from now on, those who have lived and experienced it will live constantly under its threat and shadow? How do you move on from a nightmare like Covid19?

I don’t have the steps or answer to that. People take different paths toward healing. Some who have seen the abyss will remain in the abyss while the most resilient of us will help restore our faith to human’s ability to carry on regardless of some traumatic experiences.

I didn’t write any column pieces since Covid19 erupted. There was too much garbage floating around and the world was already scared enough to add more into that fear. I cannot write with my writing riddled with pessimism. Today’s news re-ignited a fire. I let the nightmare win for as long as Covid19 has kept everyone in prison and in isolation. I had a wake-up call that the world wasn’t ending. And I have to content myself with the thought that life is still meant to be lived because there are still more possibilities of good things happening.

I look forward to visiting loved ones. December was always about family gathering for us but while we will miss that chance this year, I am looking forward to the next. I look forward to seeing the outdoors, to breath, to camp under starry nights. I look forward to having coffee with friends. I look forward to doing the things I missed doing — from watching movies to visiting museums, to properly dining in restaurants — all seemed petty but all allow for human interaction.

While we will be free and out and about, many of us will look at each other with suspicion. We will all cringe when somebody sneezes in a distance. We will all worry about what foreign particles we bring home at the end of the day. We will be this way for a while and that’s okay. If there is something we should learn from this nightmare, it’s that our ultimate weapon of choice is our caution.

We can’t wake up from a nightmare and not learn anything. What did you learn?

You can email the author at whereisyeru@gmail.com