We gave Covid 19 the keys to our house 234 days ago, how are things going?

It is 08.00 am on Friday 23 April 2021, two hundred and thirty-four days from the start of the 2020 – 2021 school year.

Getting to work on our guestimate of how, as safely as possible, to coexist with SARS-CoV2

We are absolutely determined not to simply repeat in this coming year what we did and what we did not do last year because of the virus – life became just too repetitive, too boring, too mind-numbing, too simplistic, too restrictive, and now too intolerable! The whole exercise, although absolutely essential, fell a long way short of satisfying even our basic personal and family mix of physical, mental, social and recreational needs. We only put up with it all because of the expectation that this year would see an end to the pandemic. So, in response, we are absolutely determined to expand our family horizons (whatever that means at this stage?) for this second year of the pandemic, and, as we get on with the job, we are equally determined to fully maintain our guard against SARS-CoV2 in not exposing ourselves in any way to any new risks or higher levels of existing risk of catching the virus.

The starting point

We have done enough naming and shaming and blaming in our blogs already. It was not primarily just to be critical and vent our frustrations. It had a positive purpose. Knowing what happened, knowing who caused it to happen, knowing why it happened and knowing, or at least having a good idea of, how much of what went wrong could have completely avoided if only the right decisions had been made and the right measures put in place – this post-mortem analysis gave us more than enough understanding and confidence to set out five fundamental ‘new horizon’ guiding principles as our framework for developing our own very personal family plan to live well and safely and enjoyably long term in the shadow of SARS-CoV2:

1. We CAN NOT, under any circumstances, take anything we are told about SARS-CoV2 at face value. We will make our own value judgements on each new reported developments or story line.
2. As the year one attempts to even contain the virus have failed miserably, it’s best to assume in our planning and guestimating work that year two will be the same (e.g. we will need to include an emergency contingency plan on standy, ready to swing into immediate action if another worst case scenario is declared)
3. We will carry on our anti-Covid protection procedures as usual, (mask, social distancing, hand-washing, vaccination, ventilation, etc.,) while at the same time seeking to make them even more robust than ever. Our anti-Covid procedures will be the platform for our new horizons.
4. ‘Festina lente’ will be the new mantra for developing our ‘new horizons’ plan. We will not rush to implement any new activity. We will first thoroughly and objectively assess its safety, its intended positive objective and the practical deliverability of that objective. 
5. All new proposed activities will therefore be thoroughly assessed for SARS-CoV2 risk and for their potential to qualify as a new horizon. Only if it passes this first hurdle will we ‘test and try’ to see if it really delivers, as anticipated, a new sense of satisfaction, enjoyment and well-being for one or more of our personal and / or family health and well-being requirements.           

Transforming what feels like a nightmare into a seriously challenging opportunity for a better life

OK, we have our modus operandi. We have the limits to what we can and cannot do AND what we will and will not do. We have the urge to eliminate our frustrations. We have the commitment. Time to get in the boat and take the helter-skelter ride down this very turbulent, rock-filled, river of life.

By John Saunders

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World Health Communication Associates (WHCA) & INSPIRIT Creatives UG NGO,
MediaWise and MediaFocusUK

Strengthening connections
while keeping distance

News You Can Use

We are all vulnerable to this virus. This is a unique time for our communities all over the world as we work to combat this massive global threat. This blog aims to collect and share your stories and reflections that can help others to cope, thrive and build resilience…

Our communities are at different stages of response in different parts of the world. We can learn a lot from each other. Building on World Health Organization and other evidence-based guidance, this blog will gather and disseminate stories that inform, inspire and hopefully strengthen social connectiveness while we all practice physical distancing.

We invite you to contribute. At present we are looking for stories in the following areas:

May the force be with all of us.

Sabrina, Mike, Steve, Tuuli and Franklin for the Connecting Communities team

BLOG: https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/coronavirus-connecting-communities
Email: cccov19@gmail.com
See: https://www.whcaonline.org | https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/humanity
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12385075/ | Twitter: @connecting_comm
News: https://cccovid19.org/corona_virus/

Disclaimer – We try to include stories that respect World Health Organisation COVID19 guidance. Links take you to full published stories. Our Connecting Communities team screens and selects stories but can not guarantee accuracy of reporting and mentions of any products does not indicate endorsement.

While we grieve for the tremendous loss of lives in so many countries, we can see and feel that the need to connect communities and share learning grows everyday. Please attach your comments and stories to this blog or send them to cccov19@gmail.com or attach them to this blog. We welcome stories in all languages and from all countries. Here are some first examples of stories and links. Send us yours and make this blog useful.