Sr. Virginia Chukwuemeka, O.P.
Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, Gusau Nigeria.
Covid-19 pandemic has left me with lots of memories that I would like to share. The memories are both pleasant and unpleasant.
One of the beautiful memories is that peoples, nations, and communities sought the face of God like never before. I have never seen or heard people call on God the way they did in the face of Covid-19 even though some still deny the existence of God. Another memory is that the mercy of God was made manifest in that we were not all destroyed by the pandemic.
Many people gained wisdom in the face of Covid-19 pandemic as the effects of the Covid-19 prove that nothing really matters except God.
The helplessness, vulnerability and the limitedness of the human person became obvious and undeniable in the face of Covid-19 pandemic. Could you imagine? Medical experts stand humbled by Corona Virus Pandemic. The World Health Organization (W.H.O) at a time stood helpless in the face of Corona Virus Pandemic as they watch people die before their very eyes and nothing could be done to save the lives of the affected persons. The sick who ordinarily are supposed to visit the hospitals for treatment were advised to stay away from hospitals as much as possible as a way of taking precautions against the Corona Virus Disease. Oh! What an irony.
Some disgusting memories include the Isolation and the Quarantine laws made to help control the spread of the disease. The implementation of laws helped but on the other hand, turned out to create psychological trauma and emotional stress and separation between families, friends, relations, communities, and nations. The pandemic waged wars against human fraternity and distorted social relationships.
The official lockdowns observed by people in many parts of the world limited and interrupted the world’s activities by not allowing the normal life activities, for instance; schools, markets, places of worship, places of social gathering and relaxation were all short down at a time, though normal activities are gradually resuming.
Finally, I believe that Corona Virus Pandemic will not last forever. I hope that God who alone lives and reigns forever will someday bring an end to the Pandemic and people everywhere will resume normal life activities in a refined manner.