The Gamma Apocalypse?

Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell considers our state of readiness for any future lockdown.

Omicron. It sounds a lot more sinister than either ‘the coronavirus’, ‘Delta’, or (the one I find really irritating) ‘Covid-19’. It has ‘disaster movie title’ written all over it, don’t you think?

Maybe that’s why we’re starting to tire of the never-ending attempts to slow the spread of the virus – we can’t really take it seriously with a name like that.

Two years ago was different, obviously. We were staring down the barrel of a gun, and every proposed method of protecting vulnerable people would have had serious negative effects, it seemed.

In fact, as it turned out, society largely pulled together, and we managed to remain sane and employed – with government putting in the necessary safety nets.

The cost on lives and personal relationships has been high, and many of us have had to endure real heartache. I’m sure this is the real reason why most of us return to the clinics for repeat vaccinations; the newspapers keep talking about ‘saving Christmas’ but I’m more worried about saving loved ones. I’m happy meet up again once things calm down again.

Sore arms aside, we now know that we can face up to the challenges posed by a deadly disease passing through the community. We’ve learned where our strengths and weaknesses lie during 2020 and 2021, and we’ve maxed-out technology as we’ve shared information, placed orders, communicated with customers and suppliers, and kept on top of our businesses.

So, as we negotiate Christmas and consider the possibility of even more restrictions on movement and social contact, we know that we can maintain a sense of normality. And for that, we should be grateful.

By the way, I think ‘The Zeta Strain’ would be a better movie title.