By Abdellatif Sharaa

is amazing how things are going on now as the country is opening up again. I went to my favorite cooperative earlier in the week and I really liked what I saw - people were complying with health rules without being told to do so at all, particularly at the cash counters, where distance was maintained. It seems that it is in human nature to take time to come to terms with things they are not accustomed to - they do not like change and it will be hard to get used to it.

I was also glad to hear from friends that COVID-19 gave them the opportunity to learn and get used to new habits and use time more efficiently. The pandemic will not stop them from going to diwaniyas and other meeting places, but it will be timed and measured.

A very important comment I heard was that "we became true family men"- being at home more often made them tend to their children, oversee their homework for example, give them more time to talk and have the chance to reduce dependence on domestic help to take care of certain needs. Some women said they had time to go to the kitchen and do the cooking from A to Z, and they assured me that even the flavor of the food became more authentic than when the helpers were doing the job.

Sometimes we should believe that some hardships can be a blessing in many ways, and one should always look at the positive side and take every opportunity to take advantage of a situation. When efforts went into full swing to have control over the virus, we saw all official government departments being mobilized, as well as NGOs and volunteers, who were brought in to help organize things.

They were deployed to cooperative societies, supermarkets and other shopping venues where they did a relatively good job, but I still believe there was a need to train the volunteers on how to deal with the public and handle their frustration. It is never too late to train volunteers so they can be ready at any time when they are called upon whatever the event may be.

It is known that all voluntary teams are registered at the social affairs ministry and a department called "Baader", which means "Take the Initiative", so it will not be difficult to organize certain programs for volunteers to be trained for various activities to back up official organizations. We owe everyone that contributed and is still contributing to the fight against the coronavirus a big thank you indeed.

Final word: "Be ready when opportunity comes… Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet." - Pierre Elliot Trudeu

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