Yesterday, the playground below my house was a silent reminder of the unprecedented times we are living in due to the coronavirus pandemic...
Yesterday, the playground below my house was a silent reminder of the unprecedented times we are living in due to the coronavirus pandemic.
I was looking down from my flat on the 14th floor and the empty playground caught my eye. The kids were missing and instead, around 30 crows had settled on the field… they had it all to themselves.
On a regular day, this space would be teeming with children and even grown-ups. Children on cycles, some playing football, a few making the lamppost their stump, others running up and down the slides or doing the monkey crawl. But yesterday, it was quiet. I cannot remember a time like this. I cannot even remember reading about a time like this. There have been times when sport in a country comes to a stop. But never like this; never a complete global shutdown.
Scoring a goal, even in a playground game, gives you a high. It makes you feel good. Taking a wicket or hitting a six has the same effect. And you share that joy with your team. But suddenly, the playgrounds are empty.
They talk about the Spanish flu, also known as the 1918 flu pandemic. But that was more than a...
