I had to tell myself – "There's a light at the end of the tunnel, Hold on and Press On"

 by Sakeo Moce

Sakeo (l) pictured with colleagues

The beginning of the year 2021 has brought a mixed bundle of emotions, particularly with joy and sadness. Joy in the sense that Fiji has welcomed a new year with zero cases of COVID-19 community transmission and sad in the sense that Fiji was yet again devastated by tropical depressions and TC Ana which ravaged Fiji all at once in February 2021 just one month past category 5 TC Yasa which struck Fiji on the 18^th December 2020.

Fast forward to April 2021, just like other Fijians, I again felt a bit sad, disappointed, angry, anxious and depressed to learn that the invisible monster (virus) has successfully breached the different layers of protection that our nation has put right at the international border ever since March 2020.

I was having this emotion because as a Public Health professional, someone who is trained in Disease Prevention and Control, I understand clearly the impact of this breach and the implication of a confirmed case that has a travel history of attending a funeral with other 500 individuals before being detected under the existing Public Health COVID-19 surveillance radar. I knew that there would be restrictions and everyone would be forced to adapt to the new normal of wearing masks, practice social distancing and avoid unnecessary movements. I knew I would not be able to go to work and class as usual. I knew I would have to operate from home with minimum office resources and in a very homely environment. I knew I would not be able to go to church, meet friends and relatives. On top of this, I knew I would not be able to visit my parents and my siblings at Vatukoula until Fiji is COVID-19 contained. I also knew that there would be a lot of Fijians who will be also experiencing the same emotions and feelings I'm going through or perhaps even more extreme than I do and everyone would react and respond to it differently.

24^th May 2021, as I finally sat down and picked up my laptop to start typing and just breathe and reflect on my personal experiences during this COVID-19 pandemic, I noted that Fiji has now managed to go through at least one month of COVID-19 restriction. Staying at home seems to be normal again for me and was a bit boring again. Fortunately, I had a very good support group whom I interact with daily, either face to face or virtually. This support group is my friends whom I've now considered close friends because they are also professionals and they can also provide psychosocial support and our Talanoa forum is always considered a safe space. This combined with the support I got from calling the Lifeline Fiji just to anonymously engage in a confidential Talanoa with a Crisis Intervention Officer, reading the word of God, and praying has been a great coping mechanism for me to cope with the change in the environment. Each day, I have been reminded that nothing is ever permanent. 

Sakeo giving us the 'Wakanda' look! "Always be positive- There is a light at the end of the tunnel."

Things will get better and there's a light at the end of the tunnel. The more I think about it, the more I wanted to urge fellow Fijians to follow the instructions from the authorities especially from Dr. Fong, and am longing for everyone to be united and do our part to conquer this COVID-19 monster. The sooner we conquer it the sooner we will get back to normal. That will be the end of the tunnel for us all.