Like everyone else, I was also keenly following the spread of the Covid virus, and the various actions health organisations and governments were taking, to curb its spread. UAE especially has been very fortunate that it has a focused government which has a clear idea what steps need to be taken, based on WHO guidelines, and also that it has a well disciplined citizenship that adheres to all directions. These have been two critical factors that have allowed the country to keep its borders open, while ensuring that the infections are kept under control. Of course, the very high percentage of vaccinations and booster doses have played a major role alongside.
Anyways, it was Christmas time. I had taken leave for two weeks, and was planning to visit my parents after a long time. All of a sudden, my wife started getting chills and fever. After a day, she developed dry cough. Alarm bells started ringing. However, I still felt it might be seasonal, since she doesn’t go out much and is always very careful. Plus, a couple of months back, I had developed high fever and cough and it turned to be a normal viral fever. She gave a swab test, and the result came at midnight. I recall her waking me up on the phone and giving me the news that she was positive. Immediately, we isolated her and my daughter and I went into the drawing room.
I was tasked with running the house for the next ten days till my wife came out of isolation. I had very good friends and relatives who made sure they prepared lunch/dinner and left it outside. However, I also had to prepare lot of food by myself, which was a different experience. To be honest, I never thought during that time, if I would get infected or not. It was all about ensuring that my wife was well looked after and got food, medication and all other needs catered to timely. I also thought about all the healthcare staff who must be doing these chores day in and day out, and helping strangers , and how high a pedestal they are on ! My sincere salutations to all the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical staff who work day and night to take care of the infected.
I am really indebted to all those good samaritans who brought food without thinking of the risks, and those who remembered me in their prayers. Their support really gave me the energy to look at the situation positively, and to keep saying to myself “This too shall pass!”. My best friend and family also got infected during this time, and I had company to relate my symptoms and situation with.
After ten days my wife came out of isolation tired but ready to start her innings. Because, by that time, I was down with fever. I tested on the fourth day, and turned positive. However, after a couple of days the fever went away and then it was all about taking rest. Because of all the effort the past few weeks, I barely could stay active, and spent most of the time sitting on the bed propped up by pillows and watching movies. Once I was well enough, I started working as well.
Because my wife was OK now, I got good care. So many staff at office got infected, and in most cases, the entire families got infected. Compared to that, I was lucky in that I could take care of my wife and daughter, and then when I was sick, they took care of me. My daughter also developed fever, but it went away soon enough, so we didn’t test.
When I look back now, it all passes by in my mind, like a blur. What should have been a tense time, somehow doesn’t seem that way now. I became a bit spiritual and maybe that helped me a lot. It was an experience that we won’t forget, and it cemented our relationship as a family, caring for each other and taking care of each other.
I restarted office, and work just overwhelmed me. However, it was happy times because the airline was doing well and I hope we post good strong financial results this year. We were opening so many new stations, and after a grim two years, things were looking up. Work was challenging because daily people were getting infected, and then they would be unavailable for ten days. Their close contacts were also quarantined for ten days. So, it really affected work. However, the great team that we are, the boys and girls pulled it back, and delivered miracles over Jan and Feb. Several big projects went live, and others are in various stages of completion.
Aviation business is resuming once more, new airlines are starting up and people are travelling more. In India alone, three airlines are starting or re-entering the market. Dubai is still the busiest airport in the world, and one of the most modern, providing contactless check-in and boarding facilities. IT sector is booming, with high spends reported in areas of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. RPA and Low code platforms are promising enterprises lower cost and higher productivity, keeping their resource costs low while adding more capital and intellectual assets into the Balance Sheet. All these are harbingers of a strong economic growth, however brings challenges in the form of resource retention, upskilling and rewards as well.
There have been lot of post-covid recovery issues reported, and it is advised to take things easy for a month or so. I have started my walks in a mild manner, and hopefully things will be fine. As per doctor I need to cut down my weight and so I am giving it my best shot, being the beginning of the year and all that. This infection also was a wakeup call that if we take care of our health, we can handle any difficult situation. But, if we are overweight and lax about food and other habits, we can be in trouble as well. We also have our long lent coming, so it’s a good opportunity to get onto a vegetarian diet and cut more weight.
Dubai is opening up, and as of tomorrow, all restrictions are being eased. I hope people will still be careful. The variant dominating here seems to be milder than delta. I had lost my sense of smell and taste, and it was very weird. However, they say that’s not a symptom of Omicron, so I am not sure if I had that or the Delta variant. It came back after a week, till then everything from cough syrup to chicken curry tasted like water.
So, the new year has got off to a rocky start, however, I prefer to look at it the other way. Hopefully, good times are coming up. This year is going to be a challenging one for me, with many milestones that will change our routine. My daughter will start her college, and be away from home. We might move to a new house in winter. I will need to make lot of trips depending on where my daughter and parents decide to be. So the regular, steady rhythm is going to be disturbed, and I am a person who likes order in my life. Of course, these are my plans. However, God has his own plans, and we have no control over it. So I hope and pray for a good 2022 for all of us and our families.