Entry #10: Here we go again

Coming to the end of the year and looking back, 2020 and 2021 gave witness to many major events that all affected us. I feel like the world is slowly going back  to normal, but recent events also seem to prove the opposite.

A societal issue that has been growing is police brutality. Notably, the incident between George Floyd and police after he was suspected after using a counterfeit $20 bill sparked protests against racism. Floyd was killed after being pinned down by the neck from officer Derek Chauvin for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Almost a year later, Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years in prison. 

Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, is another decision that holds significance to the world. Their transitional period started on the 31st of January, 2020 and since then, several changes have been set. From the BBC:

• European travel rules
• Duty-free shopping (tax exempt goods during travel from the EU to UK)
• Changes for citizens that want to move to the EU
• New immigration system
• Trade between the UK and EU

Immigration, vulnerability, and economic opportunity are all arguments made for the UK's decision. This event was interesting to research, and I recommend clicking the hyperlinks if you want to know more.

Last, but not least, is the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Almost two years into the pandemic, we have all experienced the societal and economical changes that came with it. My family and I actually had the virus, but thankfully none of us were seriously harmed by it. Anti-vaccine activists, mask and vaccine mandates, and the lack of space in hospitals are just some of the many things that came with COVID-19. Even at the time of this post, a new variant was discovered. Named "Omicron", this variant was found in South Africa and has spread to a few locations in the EU (apnews.com).

While 2021 has not been as chaotic as 2020, it is easy to see that we still can not return to how life was before these events. I hope 2022 will be a better year for all of us and reduce the disorder we are currently going through.