 |
| Tassy - Karachi, Pakistan |
The good news is that COVID related death rates in Pakistan seem to have tapered off a bit. After nearly three months there is space for non-COVID patients in hospitals. The R number that indicates how contagious the disease is is now 0.73% as compared to 1.5 % in May. This reassuring news however needs to be viewed with some degree of caution.
There is a sense of fear as to how the country will now tackle the upcoming events of Eid ul Adha next weekend. Eid ul Adha is one of two Eids that all Muslims celebrate every year. Unlike the earlier one a few months ago, which marked the end of the month of Ramadan or fasting, this one marks the advent of the Hajj or pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. It is a festive time, and as people gather, it can potentially cause COVID cases to soar again. I do hope people here remain vigilant and mindful.
It remains a bit of a mystery how Pakistan has miraculously managed to keep mortality rates down. With mask wearing is not strictly enforced here and although restrictions on mass gatherings, and a ban on opening wedding halls, cinemas, and restaurants remains, the downward trajectory remains unexplained. There are rumors of a weaker strain of the virus mutating in Pakistan and a link to the BCG or tuberculosis vaccine that is given to most children here at birth. This coupled with a population that is largely young may have helped combat some of the lethal effects of COVID 19.
My husband and I continue to remain vigilant and haven’t dropped our guard at all. This was our first week of being empty nesters once again. Our daughter managed her 23-hour journey and reached Canada safely, after spending more than 4 months here with us after her university closed. This week I managed to see a friend who lost her elderly mother.
My rain washed garden
It felt sad visiting her for condolence and yet not being able to give her a hug. A small group of us sat in her garden, but surprisingly everyone kept their masks on despite being outdoors and sitting apart. I was also amused when I coincidentally read an article that same day, on how eye make up for women is suddenly expected to gain popularity as that is the one feature that can be embellished despite wearing a mask!
There was a little excitement (that sadly only lasted for a few days) where I considered the prospect of flying to London with my parents and spending a few weeks there at my sister’s house. My sister had been telling us for some time that the situation in England seemed controlled and this was a good time if any to come.
The escape from seeing the four walls of my house, the extreme heat and humidity we are going through right now, and a change of food and environment, not to mention the joy of simply being able to walk in a park or outdoors for that matter, was very tempting indeed. We got cold feet later as we decided that the risk of the journey itself, for my parents in particular, may be too much and the idea was shelved.
The week went by with relative ease, as I was immersed in my routine of yoga classes, my evening walks by the sea with a girlfriend, the meditation course that I do on line, meeting with a couple of friends over the weekend for drinks and dinner at their house, and family brunch at home with my parents and mother in law.
This pretty much sums up my week in a few sentences, and seems to be the same from week to week. As I write I can hear the lovely patter of rain and thunder outside, and the trees and plants that I can see from my window have a renewed sense of green and life in them, with the dust of Karachi having washed away. Life is certainly peaceful, comfortable and calm and I’m grateful for that, but the hum drum and monotony remains.
Comments
Post a Comment