Mariana – Peru

I am Mariana and I live in Lima Peru. COVID had impacted my home life, as well as my economic situation and education. It has also generated a fear in my family of the contagion which has hurt our mental health. It has been very isolating for everyone, some have spent over several months at home quarantines— many of them children and adolescent, it is not good for their well being. The public schools have been working virtually but it is difficult to maintain as not everyone has access to it. It also is broadcast on the radio and television, but that has no personal follow up. Students attend the “classes” but there is no documentation of what they are taught. I used to walk to work from home, but now I mainly take taxis as I am scared of getting sick. In times I would have used a bus or the metro I now use taxis as well, it is much safer. I believe so much has changed, my social life has changed completely. Now I only dedicate myself to work and home life, I avoid going out unless it is necessary. I miss traveling as it was a big part of myself and being with my friends, but I fear too much the possibility of infecting my loved ones. It frustrates me that there are. people who continue to go out and party. Masks and face shields have been mandated when using public transport. A curfew has been implemented as well as social distancing and the checking of temperature upon entrance into buildings. Majority of people follow government regulations. The government has, “provided economic bonuses to the neediest families, food baskets, laundries for cleaning in markets, support for the retirement of the AFP for those who have not received the bonus and do not have income for months, free medical and psychological support, as well as conducting rapid and molecular tests on citizens, municipalities have done more work” Accessing a test is easy if you register at the medical posts or hospitals in the country, once you let them know your symptoms or point of contact, you can be tested in the next day. Testing campaigns provide people with positive results assistance and medicine granted by the state. It is mostly free and takes ten minutes for the exam and 24-72 hours for the result. I think this health crisis is of serious concern, from this point on citizens should be more careful. Hopefully when traveling people will “avoid contagion points or take the necessary measures to avoid being infected by this and another virus. I would like support in environmental issues, you could see the drastic change in how the city was before the covid (air, soil, noise, water pollution) and in the quarantine it was the opposite, we saw a country that was clean and friendly with the planet. On reopening, people returned to the same as before, although a larger population opted for the use of bicycles, which generates less GHG emissions, but it would be ideal to continue caring for the environment.”