When was the last time you had a conversation that did not involve COVID-19 in UAE?

Dubai: When was the last time you had a conversation that did not involve the novel coronavirus? Trust it was a long time ago when a virus was just a flu and did not involve the deadly five-letter word — COVID! It is hard to blame anyone if they have not spent an evening with friends without uttering the words COVID-19, virus, flu, pandemic or for that matter economy. Especially, given the fact that we are all living a ‘new normal’, one where you cannot step out without wearing a mask, or grapple with reduced salaries and dwindling incomes. Most dinner-table conversations these days are centred around these words.

However, some expats think this is slowly changing. They say that they have had enough of COVID-19 talk. While some are making a conscious effort to not utter the dreaded five-letter word every now and then, others feel that thanks to the UAE’s efforts to open outdoor life, there are now conversations happening that do not involve the pandemic and its impact. Take a look at what some of these people had to share.

‘It is important to be responsible’

Nadine Al Huneidi, 30, Palestinian, a wellness consultant in Dubai, could not agree more. “I don’t dwell on undesirable things. The more positive way the mind thinks in, the more positivity you attract in life. I personally don’t see the point of talking about COVID-19 at all. It just attracts negativity. I make it a point to focus on the positives of life and this is what I teach my clients as well.”

Taking the world by storm

‘A welcome break’

Welch added this, however, is not the case when she talks to her friends and family in the United Kingdom and the United States. “With lockdown in the UK, the pandemic is on top of people’s minds. But here in the UAE, the government has done so well to instil discipline in people to maintain social distancing. This has helped us to hold events and move on with our lives.”

She added: “Unless you move out of the conversation, find ways to be creative and stay physically active in a responsible manner, you will never be able to move on and see the brighter side of life. We cannot be in a lockdown mode forever.”