A year with the pandemic: Mowlid feels at home again
– I'm fine, no problems, says Mowlid Aden as we sit on the same benches, at the same distance, in the same courtyard as we did a year ago.
The sun is shining just as much as it did last year. What is different is the pandemic, which has now entered a quieter phase.
”At first when I heard someone cough or sneeze I was scared and worried”Mowlid Aden
Mowlid Aden worked at Kronfågel when he had a stroke in 2008. Now he feels better and better.
A year ago you were very worried about corona, what has the year been like?
– We still only meet people out of doors, I go out and do the shopping. The worry is still there, but we manage quite well. The family has not been affected. I try to be careful with contacts, to keep my distance, but I don't isolate myself completely.
Has it been like that all the time?
– To begin with, I was in shock, it was panic, I isolated myself completely. We were, and still are, extremely careful not to become infected.
– At first when I heard someone cough or sneeze I was scared and worried. I'm allergic to pollen, I take medicine for that. When my nose began to itch I got worried. - is it corona or is it my allergy? But now I realise it was my allergy.
”People in charge, authorities and the media must see to it that the facts are brought forward and counteract people who deliberately spread false information”Mowlid Aden
Have you been vaccinated?
– I've had my first dose. I'll have the second on 8th July. My wife has had a letter asking her to make an appointment in a clinic in town.
Was it clear for you to be vaccinated?
– There was nothing strange about it. I'm in a risk-group and contacted the health centre myself. I had no side-effects apart from the jab itself.
Were you worried about becoming ill from the vaccine?
– No.
How do you think the authorities, health centres and others in Sweden have handled the pandemic?
– I think everyone involved, the authorities and the government, are doing their best to manage this in the best way possible, but obviously you wish they'd done more.
”It's become a habit to greet people with your hand like this, wave, and keep your distance.”Mowlid Aden
What more ought they to have done?
– For example, there are false rumours that have spread like lightning about side-effects of vaccines, that everyone who took the vaccine would be affected by mysterious diseases, their blood would coagulate. People in charge, authorities and the media must see to it that the facts are brought forward and counteract people who deliberately spread false information.
Will you start mixing with people, hugging and getting together at close quarters?
– I've lived in the area for a long time, and I rather like it. When the pandemic came along I thought about moving away from here, if anyone had tipped me off about some remote place somewhere I would have moved. Now, since we've been vaccinated and the disease continues to decrease it feels as if we can go back to normal.
– Although it's become a habit to greet people with your hand like this, wave, and keep your distance.
