We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Kuwait’s full curfew will end Saturday and on Sunday, the country will begin the process of reopening, albeit partially and in phases. Still it feels like a holiday or the achievement of some major milestone after all these weeks of partial curfew, isolation, lockdowns and the last 20 days.

No one knows what will happen next. The virus is still spreading and only a small percentage of the global population has been infected, meaning that the majority of us are still vulnerable. There are many uncertainties as well. Why has it ravaged some places like northern Italy or New York? Why hasn’t everywhere that’s been exposed suffered similar crises and death rates? Will there be a second or third wave of infections/deaths and will we possibly face another lockdown? How much longer will this go on and how many more people will die as a result of COVID-19?

As of today, we are at 5.7 million confirmed infections and more than 350,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus worldwide. But these represent only the known infections, and known deaths. There are suspected to be significantly more people who are or were infected without ever having been tested and possibly significantly more deaths as well.
The problem is that not everyone has been tested and in some places widespread testing will be impossible. Likewise, not every death caused by COVID-19 will be confirmed as such. Therefore, we may never know the full extent of the virus’ spread or its lethality.

We look forward to the reopening of Kuwait, of a return to something like normality, with a mixture of hope and fear. We all want to get back to our normal lives, and to our daily routine. But we don’t yet know at what cost this will come. We still have no vaccine and no herd immunity.
And so we stare ahead, into the light hoping that it is not an oncoming train, a new disaster about to happen, but instead some much needed sunlight and fresh air.