Brazil, Florianópolis (state-capital of Santa Catarina): Alice Levy da Paz, 19, student
Covid-19 arrived shaking the routine of the whole world, and it was underrated in how much this virus would impact everyone’s life. Brazil had started normal activities after the carnival, my routine was finally aligning until the cases started to appear. After 6 confirmed cases in the state in less than a week, the governor suspended any agglomeration and in a few days, all institutions and businesses were closed with no expected return. My classes are suspended indefinitely, which can …
… dramatically delay my graduation. At this point in the month, I would already have my driver’s license and would be entering college exams. But it all stopped, I had to create a new routine plan in order to keep myself active, and not going crazy with so much free time. On the one hand, it is good to stop for a while and do what I really like. I spent the last 8 days reading, drawing and painting, because now I have time to explore my creativity; watching series and movies; I exercise every morning and cook with the two friends who live with me. However forced and brutally, the arrival of the virus is leading people to question their lifestyles, their ideologies and their perceptions of the world, other and nature.
In a country where poverty strikes a large part of the population, where many do not have a roof over their heads and hygiene is poor, the disease spreads very fast, and the majority of the population is not even able to get a test to prove their condition. Regarding the state I live in, I believe that the measures taken by Governor Carlos Moisés have been very cautious, immediate and extremely important for the health of the population. As for the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, I am not saying the same thing. The president insists that everyone return to normal activities and discusses with the governors that proposes the quarantine and hospital reinforcements recommended by WHO. He treats the world scene with extreme indifference, talking about it in the first person as if he were the only one who mattered.
The prospects for the future of the country and the world are not the best. The health care system is about to collapse in the month to come, forecasts say things will start to improve only in September, but this „improvement“ will bring with it the economic crisis and the crash of many companies. It will be difficult to recover the routine and the money lost by many, but I believe that the time we are having for us at this moment is precious and will make a big positive difference in the minds of many people. I believe that this will bring ethical and environmental awareness to a part of the population and will be a historical landmark in the behaviour of human beings.
