Now that Alberta has passed the one-year mark since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is occasionally a sense of repetition – particularly when it comes to celebrating holidays.
A year ago, Airdronians were preparing for the first of what would be multiple holidays celebrated virtually during a tumultuous year. Easter 2020 was the first time we would set up our screens in front of our turkey dinner, in preparation for an evening of familial interaction across the cyberspace.
Fast-forward a year, some things are still the same. For many families, Easter 2021 will look the same as the previous iteration, with members still unable to celebrate the holiday together in person.
A lot has changed, however. Last Easter, COVID-19 was still in many ways a scary and unknown virus. A vaccine seemed ages away from being developed and distributed, students and teachers were struggling to adapt to learning from home, borders were closed to all but international trade and businesses were still closed en masse unless they were lucky enough to be deemed an essential service.
There’s been undeniable progress since then. We now have rapid COVID-19 testing and have entered Phase 2B of a vaccine rollout in Alberta. Most businesses are able to operate in some capacity – though we acknowledge many are still forced to play the waiting game – and society has adapted repeatedly to the trials and tribulations dealt by the pandemic. For many, sitting down to dinner with loved ones via video chat has likely become the new normal, and a practice that simply feels commonplace by now.
It’s been a weird and scary last 13 months, and that fear and uncertainty are going to remain for a while yet. But as we saw throughout 2020 and the early months of 2021, a lot can change in a year and people are good at adapting.
And with vaccines in our arms, we look forward to joining our families around the dinner table in person again for Easter 2022.
