[Global Times Reporter Ren Yan] In Europe and the United States, the Christmas holiday in previous years was like the Spring Festival in China. Family reunion, the atmosphere was lively and harmonious.
However, due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, Western countries spent Christmas in 2020 was extremely lonely.
Christmas is the most important holiday in the West, but the severe epidemic situation in Britain makes people feel bad. Some Britons voluntarily or passively gave up the opportunity to go home for the holiday. J
enny Williamson, who works at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, had planned to return to London for Christmas holidays and spend Christmas Eve with her parents who lived there.” The last time I came home was last Christmas. I haven’t seen my parents for a year. I miss them very much.
Jenny said that although she often video chats with her parents, it is difficult to make up for the shortcomings of family reunion, especially during Christmas. But seeing the epidemic getting worse and worse, Jenny finally had to give up going home for the holiday.” While my parents supported my decision to temporarily cancel home, I could feel an unspeakable loneliness in their words, and I felt particularly painful myself.
A new research report shows that the number of European people who feel lonely in 2020 has nearly tripled compared with 2019. The study found that although European countries generally implement “soft lockdown” epidemic prevention measures, it has been too long and far beyond people’s tolerance.
Many interviewees said that they thought that the epidemic could be controlled in July and August, and then they would go out for vacation to release the depression of “foot-bade” at home.
However, instead of the epidemic not being controlled, it became more and more serious, making people hopeful.
Spanish epidemiologist Pedro Guron said that the repeated epidemic in Europe not only makes the elderly feel lonely, but also the young people feel lonely.
In contrast, young people are more likely to have serious mental health problems due to lack of experience of enduring loneliness. Like the epidemic, loneliness is a public health problem, but it has not attracted enough attention from society.
Recently, a Global Times reporter circled around the center of Brussels and found that bars, cafes and restaurants were all closed. Chairs on the terrace stood on their backs on the table, chained together, covered with a thick layer of dust.
The place where the Christmas market was organized in previous years is now empty and has become the territory of stray dogs.
Although a lot of colored lights are hanging to set off the atmosphere of Christmas Day, the loneliness that no one appreciates highlights the loneliness of this winter. The flashing lights of police cars and the harsh horns of ambulances remind people that it is dangerous outside, the virus is not far away from you, and you must go home before the curfew at 10 p.m.
Looking at Europe, the epidemic map is “fully red”, and the Christmas atmosphere everywhere is as solemn as Brussels.
The American people on the other side of the Atlantic are having a harder time. It is reported that about 10 million people have lost their jobs in the epidemic, and many people have no money to buy Christmas gifts.
For Americans who have lost loved ones, Christmas this year can only trigger painful memories.” This Christmas is not happy, and my heart is broken. A New Yorker said his wife died of COVID-19.
