Geraldine Onyenweaku
As the second Christmas of the coronavirus pandemic approaches with an atmosphere of nervous optimism; complicating the prospect of welcoming Christmas and the New Year with family, friends and loved ones, many are thinking hard about how best to go about this whole affair. They are asking questions: Should we ignore omicron and go ahead and have fun during Christmas, but at what expense? Is it safe to push back the hand of the clock and have fun like it is 2019, year before the advent of COVID-19? This is the question on most people’s minds as Christmas draws near with the big shadow of omicron hovering over everyone.
No doubt, the new omicron variant of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus SARS-COV-2, has not only complicated things for many , but has completely spoilt the prospect of welcoming in Christmas and the New Year with pomp and celebration as we have always had it. One is forced to ask; what is Christmas without family and friends? Whoever gets to celebrate alone and says he is having fun? All that lovely decorations, sumptuous meals, exotic wines, good conversations emitting peals of laughter, dancing all that fun things that come with a holiday will definitely be missed this festive season. It is hard to call this a proper holiday.
Most people are tempted to ignore all the warnings and go on to have fun, while dreading that post-party group text to say someone has tested positive for the virus the morning after. What happens to important social events that have been scheduled for this season such as weddings, chieftaincy titles, house warming parties etc.?
With the second Christmas of the coronavirus pandemic approaches with trepidation as cases continue to soar. COVID-19 , according to report, has killed countless people the world over. Countries in its wake, are beginning to issue travel ban while others have deployed stringent measures to curb infection, thus impinging on travel plans.
Even Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is reported to have cancelled her 50-person pre-Christmas party at Windsor Castle. It’s the first Christmas the 95-year-old monarch will be spending without her late husband, Prince Philip. She is determined to set an example, which begs the question: Should you do the same?
Like the delta variant, omicron has spread around the world with speed, but public-health officials have said the structure of this variant has made it more powerful at re-infecting people who have already had COVID-19 and/or had a vaccine. But it has not — thus far — led to a spike in hospitalizations.
With omicron spreading around the world like wild fire, even the vaccinated and the boosted are not left out. Most vaccinated and boosted persons have reportedly caught the virus, albeit, mild effect. So, everyone is scared as the new variant defies all tiers of vaccination.
This new revelation may have informed the decision by the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to ban unvaccinated persons from attending any social gathering this holiday. The governor was reported to have instructed all those desirous of hosting an event this Xmas to obtain a permit.
For those fun lovers who must go ahead and have a good time this holiday, they must come to terms with a lot of important questions such as: How many persons will be invited (not too many I hope)?, Is it going to be held outdoors for good ventilation?, Will they ensure that all invited guests are vaccinated? And of course observe all the COVID-19 protocol: wearing of face masks, social distancing, hand sanitizing and regularly washing hands with soap under running water.
According to Dr. Andrew Pavia, George and Esther Gross Presidential Professor at the University of Utah and head of the university hospital’s pediatric infectious disease unit “Decision making has only become more complicated. There are no absolute answers.”
Despite this ‘perceived’ outlook of a gloomy Christmas, people, especially those with very creative minds will definitely find a way to squeeze out some fun from this Christmas, regardless of the situation. The believe is that the over- riding essence of Christmas, which is love and sharing will prevail above all odds.
Happy Holiday ! This is wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful and fulfilling New Year!