With the utmost respect to frontline workers and everyone who has been affected and frightened by the coronavirus, we by no means intend for this timeline to be insensitive. We've compiled a lighthearted look at the timeline of COVID-19 because we could all use a laugh right about now.
Following the instruction of health officials and those looking out for our best interest, all of us have made sacrifices, put aside our differences, stayed indoors and done our part to put the 'kind' in humankind. For many of us, our actions of being selfless, responsible and helpful may appear to be unnoticed, but they will not be unappreciated.
And so, from all of us at KelownaNow, we thank you for doing your part to pull through the pandemic.
For those who lost their jobs, livelihood, businesses, especially multi-generational businesses that have come to a sad, unceremonious end... there is no question that COVID-19 has changed our lives. If there is anything we can do, we are here to help keep #KelownaStrong.
Watching the coronavirus from afar was scary and before we placed quarantine measures, many of us were rightfully frightened and did what we had to do to take care of ourselves.
Looking back now, a lot of us assumed a lengthy lockdown for an undetermined period seemed imminent.
This uncertainty understandably led to fear and if that made you act out of character, don't be ashamed.
It was alarming to think, “What’s going to happen? How long will this be? What would we eat? How would we exercise? And worst of all, how would we clean our bums?”
We reacted and bought so much toilet paper that the cashier, who by the way, thank you for your bravery and continued service, must have thought that either a teacher gave you a bad grade or that you're planning to dress as a mummy for the next five Halloweens.
Then sports were cancelled and we bought everything else... just in case.
At the end of the roll, we started to stock up on sanitizer.
Oh, the glorious minimum 60% alcohol disinfectant cleans our skin so well that we needed to also stock up on lotion too. We were rubbing our hands so much that we looked like the rapper, Birdman.
Birdman Hand Rub remix 2020 ft Purell pic.twitter.com/EaNKRQiXpj
— Shorty #24 (@Homegrown_L) March 12, 2020
Then we all got sent home.
During the transition of working from home, we went from asking, “what's Zoom” to adding Zoom into our daily lexicon so much that we just had the NFL draft on Zoom. It seems like going forward, whenever people hear the Mazda slogan "Zoom-Zoom," they're going to think they're about to have a business meeting.
In between our Zoom meetings, we'd host Zoom calls to catch up with our friends and discuss the absurdity of the Tiger King or the split-screen Instagram Live feed that we liked best that day.
During all of this, two words took over, or maybe one – we're not sure:
TikTok.
The dances, the creativity, the genius, the foolishness and the awesomeness that is TikTok let us be free.
And now, we dance.
It seems like everyone and their mom were learning the renegade dance or the incredible handwashing dance from Vietnam or the song below, which in all honesty, is pretty awesome.
Then, that evolved into people singing the hooks to popular songs by Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus while we cleaned our hands. How we ever cleaned our hands without singing "The Climb," is beyond us.
We followed with challenges like Do Your Part, All In and the floor is lava... and then, the lockdown’s most unexpected star arose:
Sourdough bread.
What's next, self-done haircuts?
Are we going to come out of quarantine with the hairstyle of Joe Exotic?
If you do, please draw a bathroom mirror self-portrait and send it to us.
Or will we start muting TV shows to create our own dialogue?
Either way, times continue to change.
But we're doing it.
Learn to live again.
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