This article is likely, if anything, a cathartic exercise to let out all my thoughts about the novel COVID-19 virus. I debated writing about something more cheerful, to distract people from the ongoing pandemic. However, after finding myself upset and frustrated about the whole situation, I thought that writing it may let others know who feel the same way that they are not alone.
I am in my final year at McGill and expect to graduate with my B.Sc. this spring. Last week, I was talking about going shopping to find my dress for grad ball, and making plans with my friends whom I hadn’t seen at all during midterms. This week, I don’t even know if final exams are going to happen and I have been feeling sad, angry, and confused all at once. I was excited to finish off my semester with a bang: going to grad ball, bringing in doughnuts for my coworkers on my last day, enjoying my final day of classes. Unfortunately, I don’t know if any of these things are going to happen now. And for a lack of better words, it sucks.
I have realized though, that I must accept this. I may not be able to experience all the things I had planned, and I may never. What is most important however, is ensuring the health of ourselves and our loved ones. And at the end of the day, this is what we must all strive for. We should definitely not panic and buy up tons of toilet paper (what’s with that anyway?), but we should be cautious and work together to mitigate the situation.
I suppose the true purpose of this article is to let anyone who is reading this feeling upset or disappointed know, that it’s okay. It is an unfortunate situation brought on by circumstances out of our control. But, what we do now IS within our control. So, stay calm and make sure to stay informed using reliable sources. I wish us all good health and safety; we can get through this <3
Some resources if you need:
Keeping up with McGill updates: https://www.mcgill.ca/coronavirus/
Info Santé (if you are not feeling well): 1-877-644-4545
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2Findex.html
World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus