When will this End?

This seems to be a question on everyone’s mind as we physically isolate ourselves from each other. It has certainly been on my mind as I look forward to the day we can have a big family dinner or go visit family overseas. The more and more I think about it though, the more I fear the answer.

Even if the world stayed home for a few weeks, and even if those carrying the virus recovered, how could we possibly return to work, school, or our favourite restaurants without the fear of a relapse? And if a relapse did occur, what would we do differently in round 2? If the symptoms lie dormant for 14 days, couldn’t the virus spread like wildfire once again? The more I go down this dark rabbit hole, the more I believe today represents our new norm until a vaccine is available and widely distributed.

If you disagree, let’s paint a scenario. Imagine the world goes on lock down, the hospitals clear up, and we get the wonderful news that there are no outstanding cases of COVID-19. You go back to the office or to school and return to close-quarter collaboration with your peers. Now, let’s say one of your colleagues develops a cough or fever. Sure, they could go home but if this is a similar virus, they could have been contagious for the 14 days preceding. And even if they’re not contagious, how long do they stay at home until returning? Do they get extra sick days? Does government assistance continue? If in school, do their teachers adjust to remote learning just for them? And what if they were contagious, does the entire office go back to self isolation? Does the school go back to learning from home?

Needless to say, I haven’t come up with a suitable answer for any of this and I truly hope to be proven wrong. Two things are for sure though, a vaccine cannot come soon enough and I’m going to need a second pair of sweatpants.