Thousands of people have died because of it and, sadly, that number will continue to grow. Nations struggle to mitigate its impact. It strikes fear into people’s hearts, makes us change plans and alters the way we move from place to place.
We hear all kinds of warnings about it: be aware of your surroundings; avoid crowds. The list goes on and on. The US State Department, and other like agencies in other governments, issue worldwide warnings about travel and threats related to it.
It’s not terrorism … it’s a worldwide pandemic. It’s COVID-19. It has changed the way we live. It has spawned a whole new vocabulary: mask up, virtual meeting, social distancing.
Entire industries are threatened by its very existence, especially one that is very close to my heart – travel. So what can we do about it?
Like terrorism, we have to respond cautiously to this threat. When terrorists attacked the World Trade Centers in New York City on 9-11, our nation vowed we would not let this hard-to-detect threat change who we are. Yet we did! We take our shoes off before going through metal detectors at airports. We limit the size of our liquids in our carry-on baggage. We check for alerts and warnings before traveling.
COVID-19 has forced the same type of changes. We carry masks with us and wear them everywhere. We use hand sanitizers constantly. We check for alerts and warnings about places we want to visit — or cancel plans altogether.
COVID-19 is a terrorist! So how do we combat it? We do what must be done. We minimize the threat. We listen to the experts and avoid crowds. Luckily, this terrorist can be defeated. For starters, the entire world – friends and enemies – are all battling the same foe and working together for a worldwide win. Vaccines are on their way so we have reason to be at least a little optimistic.
There is a light at the end of this tunnel. I don’t know how long the tunnel is, but I know we will come out on the other side wiser and stronger for our struggles. I will continue to travel. I will continue to explore every corner of this world that I can.
There’s a whole world out there waiting for me — and you. Let’s defeat this enemy so we can get on with our explorations!
© The World A to Z, LLC 2020 — Unless otherwise indicated, no compensation was received for this blog.
The World A to Z 