Halloween 2020 coronavirus edition: The year of all tricks and no treats

On Halloween, people around the world celebrate by indulging in all things spooky and scary. It is the one day of the year when the rules of normal society are thrown out the window and people are encouraged to give in to their dark side. Halloween, which falls on October 31, is a popular Western holiday for people of all ages, with little ones going door-to-door trick or treating and collecting candy from their neighbours, everyone dressing up in costumes of their favourite characters from popular media or something out of their imagination, carve pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns is a tradition for families and pranking friends with tricks is popular among teens. But this year, it seems that nature has pulled the perfect prank on all of humanity collectively. As we jump from one disaster to the next, people around the globe have been living in constant terror since the beginning of this year. Simple ghosts, ghouls and serial killers just don’t do it for us anymore, because the horrors of reality are much more cumbersome than the fear any mythical creature can strike. Here are some of the truly horrifying things that haunt us this year. Proceed with caution!

Coronavirus: The 2020 Plague

Nature brought it’s A game to the Halloween party this year, no question. Only, this time, Nature misread the invite and came 8 months early and decided to stay! The coronavirus pandemic has traumatised the entire globe into a frenzy and there is no escaping it.

Bubonic plague bird mask
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Unsplash
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Funky masks that were reserved just for Halloween have become the new normal and the only silver lining is that if you go out wearing the ‘Bubonic Plague’ bird mask this Halloween, it will be completely justified! The coronavirus pandemic gave a new meaning to the term ‘body count’, and to say that we are living in ‘unprecedented’ times is putting it mildly.

Rise of the germs

There is nothing more spooky this season than an unexplainable cough in your vicinity, whether it is yours or of someone around you, it is enough to evoke terror into any heart. No amount of germ-busting gear seems to be enough; people have taken to wearing masks, gloves, face shields and even shoe coverings just to avoid the onslaught of germs from public places. Let’s not forget the excessive hand sanitiser showers we’ve all been taking. This is both a germaphobe’s greatest fantasy and most traumatising nightmare!

Invasion of the personal space

Even on a good, Covid-19 free day, people in our country could do with a lesson in respecting personal boundaries and affording each other personal space. Whether you are in line at the grocery store or braving the horrors of the local transport during this time, chances are there will be a dozen people standing a little too close for comfort and persistently so! On a lighter note, at least now we have the valid excuse of not having to constantly hug that one person who just does not let go!

The Domestic Horror Show

Don’t get me wrong, we all love our family, right. Right?! But perhaps 8 months of constant forced companionship and subtle passive-aggressive remarks were not what we had in mind. Gone are the early days of the pandemic when the entire family gathered around to play Monopoly or the ever-controversial UNO after dinner to pass the time. And UNO announcing that you can’t play a draw 2 on another was the final straw! Familiarity might not breed contempt in this case, but it certainly borders on irritation. How hard is it to pick up the wet towel from the floor, brother!

Home Alone

Not having to go to work each day in the morning was all fun and games until #workfromhome came into play. The boundaries between the work and life have been blurred so far into oblivion that for many, shifting their work from the desk to the bed signifies the end of the day! The true horror is going to be the shape of our spines from constantly sitting at the desk, that’s for sure. Not to mention that for a lot of us, the only steady and healthy relationship in our lives is with the FBI agent monitoring us through the webcam!

Covid busters

The coronavirus pandemic brought along with all the graduates of Whats’ App University and some of its downright troubling PhD hypotheses. Perhaps, in the face of a disease that has the potential of killing millions of people, we should listen to the experts, rather than playing a game of catch with a coronavirus shaped ball till someone ends up in the morgue. Fake News might have become a trend on the internet, but user discretion is of the utmost importance. But you never know, perhaps eating the 8th tide pod might just make things right!

And if this isn’t enough to give you goosebumps, you could always rewatch the U.S. Presidential debate. Have a happy and safe Halloween!

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