10
asianweekly northwest
40 YEARS
APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2022
■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG
Celebrate that you are By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photos by Assunta Ng
Did you know that March 2022 was a milestone for us Washingtonians? If you are reading this, you might recall that you have escaped the most horrific pandemic that killed 12,497 Washingtonians, more than 790,00 people in the U.S., and over 6 million people globally. Congratulations, you are alive. If you had Covid-19 and recovered, you are among the 1.45 million out of 7.76 million Washingtonians who got infected. That means one in five people in our state tested positive. The Washington Post reported 52% of Americans got Covid. That’s even more reason to celebrate and feel fortunate. We empathize with the struggles and adversities you have been going through. You have probably survived one of the worst nightmares of your life. Please don’t take this lightly. Beating Covid is monumental. March 2020 was the most challenging and uncertain time in the 21st century. A pandemic struck—Gov. Jay Inslee ordered a shelter-in-place on March 23, 2020—the world halted, people died, lives shattered, jobs lost, and businesses closed…And you survived! Two years later, March 2022, what a contrast! A new world has reopened—Covid-19 deaths and cases are down, vaccines abundant, mask mandates lifted, schools opened, airlines and hotels full, concerts and shows rolling out, and restaurants bustling… You and I have experienced misery, anguish, and wretchedness for the past two years. You may not feel like celebrating, but you should. Life is short, fragile, and precious. You have only one life to live. Please don’t take your life for granted. And please don’t take for granted those who saved you. If not for our frontline workers— nurses, doctors, and medical workers—the number of deaths and tragedies could be much higher. What we have done is major and wonderful, we fought insanity to stay strong and Covid negative during this terrible ordeal. We have survived and grown our resilience and patience for months of isolation. We hated many of the health guidelines such as masking and social distancing, but we followed them. The number of sacrifices was way too many to count or remember. But we pulled through. The number of painful changes that you and I have implemented in our daily lives over 700-plus days, may be unbearable. Amazingly, I have saved quite a few of those habits as they have transformed my life. Celebrate that your loved ones are still with you and
ton state was held The first BLM protest in Washing 2020 in Chinatown on May 29,
Boarded-up building in
Japantown, June 2020
Social distancing posters on Uwa
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Signs at SeaTac Airpor
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Free vaccinations offered at Hing Hay Park in 2021
auded the Rotary Seattle Westin Hotel wait staff appl ting in July 2021, Club of Seattle’s first in-person mee them. after the Rotary thanked
Seattle Symphony Orchestra’s Celebrate Asia on March 20 welcomed big crowds The Seattle Great Wheel displays colors of the Ukraine flag Seattle Symphony Orchestra showed its support of Ukraine with blue and yellow neon lights during a March 17, 2022 concert
