There is one topic ruling the media these days: Corona virus and how we are going to survive it. Opinions go both ways from panicking and stocking up to very relaxed, 'it is only a bad flu' or 'not much to do about it'. It does not matter what your opinion is… this will affect us all.
As a freelancer I knew the risks involved and happily made that choice half way through last year. Things were looking good and if things didn't work out I could always go back to a regular job. To be honest business was booming. I had taken on too many assignments. When I was looking for prospects I did not know which ones would fall through and which ones would fall off. As chance had it they all fell through and I was all of a sudden working full time again.
The first message we received from the government was to wash our hands more often and keep our distance from other people. Following that we were all told to not go to big events (which were almost all cancelled soon afterwards) but the schools would remain open. That was followed by the schools having been closed (as well as other facilities such as restaurants, saunas and gyms) and we have been asked to work from home (if possible) and stop stocking up on toilet paper. Currently all social gatherings with more than 3 people can be fined and people have been urged to take this seriously.
As luck has it both my husband and I have jobs in which we can work remotely. A perfect solution for this home-schooling situation one would think… If I ever get time and inspiration again I will tell you more about it but for now… the situation is not perfect but we will survive.
Talking about surviving, I have friends and family who may not survive - financially. To give a few examples my beautician, hairdresser and two of my customers have all come to a halt. Because of social distancing, many of their customers have cancelled or they have closed their doors for business themselves (since Monday all 'contact' jobs which are not vital have been temporarily shut down). Hopefully they will be able to pick this up again after several months and save their businesses this year.
I also know many people in tourism whose businesses have come to a complete stop. We all know by now that travelling will only spread the virus faster but if your entire income is based on tourism and hospitality then you are screwed in the near future. The travelling will not pick up (enough) after a few months so they will have hard times for the rest of the year and maybe even the coming years. I definitely want to add 'Do not cancel but postpone your trip'. #DontCancelPostpone
Our vacation was planned for May and we were going to visit my family in Botswana, in Southern Africa. We still need to try to change our dates but if that is not possible we have lost a significant amount of money. Thankfully that is all we have lost - our vacation money. Some people will be losing a lot more.
Keep safe everybody and hold in there #StayAtHome #StaySafe
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