Returning to normality in 2020

After seven months from the start of the worldwide self-isolation on 21st March 2020, each country has taken its own steps to keep their citizens safe. They have done this by creating a different indicator to keep track of the spread of the disease and how it is affecting their citizens. Therefore, each country is returning to normality at a different rate. I returned home to Mexico to escape from the new peak in Europe and adjusting to the Mexican rules has been a challenge.

The Mexican indicator is a traffic light with four colours (red, orange, yellow and green), which are determined by the level of hospital occupancy. According to this: red is when the occupancy is between 65 and 100%, orange is between 50 and 65%, yellow is 50% and steady, and green is when the rate starts reducing in a constant manner. However, each local government has the final decision regarding the change of the status, currently Mexico City has an occupancy of 39% and has an orange status. I can only conclude that the governor wants to be extra careful in avoiding an extra peak like in Europe.

Mexico was closed on the same week as UK, as I have been keeping track thanks to my parents. However, the major difference in Mexico is always using the face covering when going outside even inside the car and just remove it when eating and drinking. The rules also include like UK keep your distance between 1.5 and 2m, and keep your hands and face clean constantly.

While UK was slow to implement the mandatory self-isolation as it had already reached a rate of 5,000 cases per day by 21st April, Mexico implemented self-isolation prematurely as the virus only reached Mexico by 18th March.

The self-isolation in both countries consisted of staying home and just going out for essentials like basic shopping (food and medicine), medical appointments, and work from home. Therefore, everything was closed and there was no one on the streets of every country in the world.

The problem started with this, as every business in the world was closed the potential of people getting fired increased. The governments tried to avoid this but not every country succeeded, as they demand the employers to keep their employees paying their salary without any income which became unsustainable in countries like Mexico and India.

However, UK government created some financial packages to help businesses and allowed their employees to self-isolated without the constant worried of losing their job.

After three months of mandatory self-isolation both countries opened. UK made the returned in two stages one in May and one in June in order to avoid a new peak, while Mexico changed their status from red to orange. The plan for both countries was working, however UK followed the step opening as marked, but Mexico decided that they needed to reactivate the economy and most business opened following the new health restrictions.

Therefore, by June is where the major changes happen because Mexico gave priority to reactivate the economy as all non-essential business were allowed to open up to a 30% capacity including open spaces, while UK gave priority to kid’s socialisation so schools were opened for early years with the expectation that every school will opened for the autumn term on 1st September.

Therefore, by September and as I was expecting, the infection rate in UK increased as the schools opened but the major contribution of the peak was the university students as they moved from all cities of UK into their Hall of Residence. These was such a big problem that many Hall of residences were self-isolated entirely and left without access to the outside and were prohibited to return home. Therefore, now the age groups with highest infection rate were 20 to 29 followed by 30 to 39 years.

Although UK was expecting a huge peak due to this during the first month of school opening, it has been almost two and the peak is still rising. Therefore, new restrictions were imposed in order to avoid further spread of the disease, however, they left mandatory self-isolation as a last resort as they want the economy to continue boosting.

This makes me wonder that this is what all countries should expect a huge peak once the school are opened. However, UK is increasing the testing in order to find those immune people who will be allowed to return to normal life and could aid in the current treatment of the disease.

It seems that every country is following a similar pattern. They are aiming to control the first peak with self-isolation while keeping the economy healthy until the school are ready to open and then this will start again. Therefore, it seems that the only way to get some good control of the disease is by creating a vaccine and convincing everyone to take it.

Currently 8 vaccines are in phase 3 which consists of clinical trials. These vaccines cover different types and do some of the process of distribution locally. However, it is important to remember that vaccines are approved on evidence of effectiveness and their timeline has remained the same which is around September 2021.

In the meantime, the focus needs to be on treatment and care in order to avoid critical cases ending up in hospital with respiratory problems. However, as it is still a very long way to go for the vaccine, we should focus on prevention and although very uncomfortable, wearing the face cover at all times when you are outside is the best way to avoid the COVID-19 infection.

It is going to be a very long time for everyone to be safe, however life must go on while keeping safe. Therefore, travelling by airplane to other country is something that can be done with all the precautions. These are the basic recommendations:

1. Do not fly:

2. If you have symptoms of any kind, or

3. If you know someone with COVID-19.

4. Ready to fly:

5. Only go to the airport if you are travelling,

6. Have your face cover at all times (airport, lounges and airplane),

7. Avoid face to face contact,

8. Remove the mask just for ID requirements, and

9. Maintain the social distancing even in the airplane.

10. Entering the visiting country and returning home:

11. Research the COVID procedures like need a certificate of testing negative within the last 72 hours of entering the country,

12. Requirements of self-isolation,

13. Passengers entry or returning forms (depending of the country)

14. Quarantine rules for UK:

15. Fill in a “passenger locator” form,

16. Need a UK address as all visitors from a high-risk country (see government list) required 14 days quarantine; and should avoid going out, public transport, and having visitors.

17. Quarantine rules for Mexico:

18. Fill a negative testing declaration form,

19. No quarantine or other restrictions applied.

The main problem of returning to normality is the balance between the fear of infection and going out in order to boost the economy. Therefore, the only way to accomplish both is to avoid unnecessary travel and always maintain the basic COVID prevention steps, which are hands, face, space (wash your hands, use face cover, and keep you distance).

Even though 2020 has been a tough year, this is a problem that has affected the entire world and will need the entire world to solve this. It is taking 8 laboratories from different countries to create the vaccine and will take many more countries to manufacture and then the distribution. However, the scientist and the governments are doing an amazing job of keeping the world safe but the last step is for each of us to make an important decision and an opt to take the vaccine.

Save the world by protecting yourself and your family of this and any other future disease by simply taking the vaccine. Therefore, be patient that this is going to take a while for this pandemic to resolve.