Washington has been much quieter than usual due to some rainy weather in the past week. Though there is no strict shelter-in-place order yet, pretty much everyone has embraced social distancing. We had nicer weather over the weekend that brought everyone out jogging and to see the cherry blossoms. The crowds were so large that the police actually shut down access to the Tidal Basin area, where most of the famously pink blooming trees are. The Trader Joe’s grocery store in my neighborhood has started only letting in 30 people at a time, which means there is almost always a line outside waiting to go in. It reminds me of pictures of the Great Depression.
As for the rest of the world outside the Beltway, here’s a look at how people around the globe told me they’re handling the coronavirus pandemic.
Amanda, 29, Ottawa, Canada
It’s interesting to walk down Bank Street and to pay attention to the stores differently now that they’re all closed. A restaurant sign indicates they’re receiving orders via their Instagram. All the handwritten notes on the doors of shops personalize the impact the shutdown is having on both staff and their customers. Uber drivers are delivering groceries and meals around the neighborhood. Quite a few people are out for walks, but everyone is keeping a safe distance, and it seems the smiles we usually exchange have been somewhat replaced by solemn nods and knowing glances. The kids and pets remind everyone to maintain levity, though. There are plenty of sidewalk chalk messages reminding everyone that love and hope are also contagious.
Suzan, 37, Erbil, Iraq
I read an article recently that said countries who have faced ongoing persecution and war are able to handle any emergency, and obviously so. A month ago, Iraq shut down schools. Quickly after that, all restaurants, bars, cafes, etc., closed down as well. In addition, checkpoints between cities were closed, not allowing travel within the country, and a strict lockdown was put into place. Since then, people walk to get necessities since grocery stores and pharmacies remain open. I often hear children playing soccer in their courtyard, while women hose down the tiles and street in front of their homes. At night, I take long walks and can smell wonderful spices pouring out of kitchen windows and the light stirring of sugar in their chai.
In all honesty, I have never felt complete loneliness like this and, at the same time, have never felt such solidarity and comfort. For the first time, I am witnessing what is normal for the brave people of this country. I’m witnessing how they shut down their lives with grace and hope and zero complaints.
Reef, Beirut, Lebanon
The only places that are open are the supermarkets and pharmacies. We go in one at a time in a line when we need to buy something. We also have a curfew from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m., where no cars or pedestrians are allowed to be outside. We spend our day as a family reading, cooking, singing, dancing, and playing piano. We sometimes go outside for a run or a walk while respecting social distancing. Today, I woke up to the sound of birds singing. It was beautiful, and I felt as though I was in a fairy tale where you are stuck in a tower but you have faith that better days are coming and that there will be a happy ending. I know that while we are stuck inside, nature is healing.
Igor, 24, Campina Grande, Brazil
I live in a small city in the northeast of Brazil. It is relatively far away from all the country’s major cities such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. For a long time, me and my family thought we were safe and would not be affected by this crisis. Unfortunately, we were wrong, and it knocked on our doors faster than we thought. Now, everything is closed, and we don’t talk about any other issue. Our president says this is just a seasonal flu that soon will pass. The opposition says he is crazy. Everyone is afraid. Some are afraid of dying because of a new disease. Others fear dying from starvation from not being able to provide for themselves in the midst of a long quarantine. Now, I can imagine how it must be to live in places such as Venezuela or Syria.
Hodaya, 23, Jerusalem, Israel
The streets of Jerusalem are almost empty, like ancient prophecies of times of crisis. The government responded quickly, and schools, shops, and private businesses were shut down, besides grocery shops and pharmacies. We are allowed to leave the house, but only up to 100 meters away, except for emergencies or if we work in crucial places. Families are staying together. I have five siblings, and we are all here with my parents, studying, playing some sports, cooking, and playing music. There are also a lot of beautiful initiatives all around the country of people helping one another — shopping for old people, giving financial support to people that lost their job, babysitting for the children of doctors working against the virus, and lots more. It is extremely heartwarming to see such solidarity.
Ewelina, London, United Kingdom
Over a week ago, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that everyone, apart from key workers, should work from home if possible. Schools were closed shortly after, except for the children of key workers. Many shops closed. Last week, Johnson announced even stricter guidance, basically placing the U.K., and especially London, on lockdown. We were advised not to engage in any social activities. All nonessential places closed. We are allowed to go for a run or walk once a day and go shopping for essentials, but as rarely as possible. No visiting friends. No going for walks with others, apart from people that you live with. As a person living alone, I have to do self-isolation, with only Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime conversations. I have been working from home for eight days now. It gets easier every day. However, this does not mean that my mental state is great. Hearing the news, seeing the numbers of infected and death rates in the U.K. increase, breaks my heart and steals the hope that we will be able to go back to “normal” once this is over. We will never go back to “normal” as we know it but to the new normal that will be. What the new normal will be is still not clear.
Compiled by Peter Burns. Burns is the government relations and policy director at In Defense of Christians. Burns is an alumnus of America’s Future Foundation’s Writing Fellowship.
