The coronavirus has changed how we work, play and learn: Schools are closing, sports leagues have been canceled, and many people have been asked to work from home.

That also means minimizing contact with people. Avoid public transportation whenever possible, limit nonessential travel, work from home and skip social gatherings.

And there is a greater public health imperative. Even people who show only mild symptoms may pass the virus to many others particularly in the early course of the infection, before they even realize they are sick. We may also contribute to the number of people infected, causing the pandemic to grow rapidly and overwhelm the health care system.

The Coronavirus is affecting my life socially because all I’m doing at home is the same routine as always and not communicating with others physically out there.

It has taken a while for all of us to realize that we are experiencing what might be a life-changing experience on a worldwide scale. The only thing comparable in history might be other pandemics such as the 1918 Spanish flu and wars.

The changes that me, family and friends experienced is the way that we are stuck home and only communicating via apps like Skype, Zoom or Facetime. People getting normally sick(not Covid-19), not wanting to attend in hospitals due of them fearing about the virus and not being able to communicate well and express each other.

The "most difficult" aspect for me is not being able to see my friends, not being able to go outside and feel safe and take my time, or just have fun in general and enjoy my life.

Also, all of the activities from ALDA are delayed which means that all the events, conferences and workshops with other countries/regions are suspended which means no cooperation with all our partners.

I try to stay updated on the situation here everyday by following the news and also with the French embassy sending us (French volunteers) some informations about the situation also.

Thank you for reading me.

Gary Journo
ALDA Skopje volunteer