There are certain points in our history that we will all remember. When we look back, the COVID-19 pandemic will surely be one of them.

As of this writing, we are still in the thick of the unprecedented times that have rocked our very existence. A few months into 2020, the world as we knew it had been disrupted. The culprit: a potentially debilitating respiratory virus that spread rapidly across the globe.

The world watched as China and Italy became the first two countries to have severely suffered from the ramifications of COVID-19. Just like that, almost every aspect of private and public sectors was abruptly brought to a halt; within days, schools, large gatherings, businesses and flights were shut down.

When this is over, as all beginnings have an end, we will look back and recall how the crisis at hand, unlike anything we have experienced before, challenged us to the core.

We are a generation that was spared living through the atrocities of both World Wars. Instead, the battle we face is against an unseen disease, which our front-liners risk their lives to fight for the health of the public. We will probably remember the uncertainty, fear and panic brought along with the pandemic.

Simultaneously, however, we will also recall the silver linings: how people came together and cared for each other, especially in the first weeks following lockdown. —CONTRIBUTED

The author is from the British School Manila