First of all, can we agree on the right pronunciation? Do you say “quarantine” or “quarantine”? I prefer the latter and to be honest don’t like the sound of the former. Reminds me of people who say “Eye”raq or “Eye”ran for Iraq and Iran! Can’t stand it but I digress! Onto quarantine winners and losers. Top of the list have to be the medics and healthcare workers around the world at the frontline of the struggle. Thank you all for your service! I’m not just a coward, but selfish too, so I don’t know if I’d put myself in harm’s way the way these brave and selfless men and women do every single day. And some don’t even have protective equipment from gloves to gowns to masks and many have had to improvise to stay safe. If you’re following the news, you know that many of them have contracted and succumbed to the virus, which is tragic. The gear itself is uncomfortable and many have spoken of how hot and itchy it gets under all those layers of protection. I wish I could do more than pray for their safety! I haven’t banged any pots or pans to show my support and appreciation only because no one in my neighbourhood is doing so, but maybe I should act “brave” and initiate the practice! Close to the medics are philanthropists like Jack Ma, Bill Gates and really anyone giving or volunteering to help humanity cope with this pandemic. The world appreciates your generosity, whether medical supplies, cash or investment towards treatment and vaccine research. Also commendable are the hotels taking in the homeless, seeing as all those rooms remain vacant with travel and tourism virtually dead! I kind of envy them though. The homeless that is. I wouldn’t mind being quarantined for however long in a 5-star hotel! Those luxurious suites I’m never going to afford to stay in even for a night! I assume they get free food, Wi-Fi and free television as the hotels would have already paid for those subscriptions. I also kind of envy the prisoners being released early from overcrowded jails to avert further spread of the disease. Not that I wish to get incarcerated ever but if I did end up behind bars for whatever reason, I’d hope for such a reprieve. And you know who else I’m jealous of? All the people posting about their mundane routines and lives whose posts are going viral. Like 99-year-old Captain Tom Moore, a veteran who has raised over $31 million and counting by just walking around his garden. I walk a lot too and I’m pretty sure I’ve walked more miles than he has to ironically save money even though I tell most people it’s to exercise! Point is, nobody cares about my walks! His stunt is for a noble cause though so it’s all good. Not good are the hackers, scammers, fraudsters and fake news spreaders exploiting a panicked populace. I’m tempted to wish COVID-19 on them just so they learn a lesson!
