The year 2021 just started. On behalf of Avalon, I'm wishing you health, wealth, and happiness in the New Year ahead. Let's all hope this is going to be a wonderful year. "2020 is finally over" - I believe many people have this feeling. 2020 has been a tough year for most people. Many people think it is a year filled with sadness and frustration. People get depressed from staying home all the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some might be sick; some might have lost someone they love; some might have lost their job, but 2020 actually is better than you thought. There are still many great things that happened during 2020! In this post, we have gathered a few delightful things that happened in 2020. Let's recap the year 2020 together and hopefully bring you comfort.
The decline in global carbon emissions
The COVID pandemic drove a record drop in global carbon emissions in 2020. People have been staying home for most of the time. Most people work and study from home since the beginning of the pandemic which largely reduced the number of vehicles on the street. With all the travel restrictions and the COVID outbreak in many countries, people are unable to travel. The number of flights has greatly reduced. That has brought a significant impact on global carbon emissions. According to new research from the University of East Anglia, the University of Exeter and the Global Carbon Project, global greenhouse gas emissions plunged by roughly 2.4 billion tons this year, a 7% drop from 2019 and the largest decline on record, triggered by worldwide COVID-19 restrictions. (Source: CNBC)
Animal shelters are more empty than ever
As people have been staying home for a long time, many of them look for furry companions to keep them company during self-isolation. Those who didn't consider adopting pets before might have changed their mind as they spend most of the time at home now. They have more time to take care of pets while they can have a companion to make self-isolation better. According to Global News, the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society has seen double its normal applications and Humane Canada reports adoption numbers are up between 20 and 60 percent across the country.
The biggest vaccination campaign in history has begun
COVID-19 has brought significant impacts to our lives and ruined many of our plans. More than 88 million confirmed to have COVID-19 contracted COVID-19 since Chinese officials announced cases detected in the city of Wuhan on December 31, 2019. Drugmakers like Pfizer and Moderna have made remarkably quick development of COVID-19 vaccines which finally became available recently. Back in November, Pfizer announced it had created a vaccine that was more than 90% effective. Not long after, Moderna also released preliminary data from its vaccine trials, saying its vaccine candidate was more than 94.5% effective at preventing COVID-19. These vaccines have been distributed worldwide in which injection is prioritized for frontline workers. In addition, COVAX, the global alliance aims to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the world’s poorest countries. It now has secured 2 billion doses through supply agreements.
Many of us picked up a new hobby/skill
As most of us are staying home most of the time since the beginning of the pandemic, I'm sure many of you developed a new hobby or skill like me. For example, I personally enjoy trying new things so I actually picked up quite a few hobbies. I had plenty of time to attempt recipes that I never got a chance to try, especially baking as it usually takes a long time. I started a 30 days workout challenge with my sister and cousin. We would video call each other every day and workout together. I got the Smart Serve Certificate after taking the alcohol training program, which is a requirement for anyone who sells, serves, delivers, or handles alcohol in Ontario.
Free cooking classes from one of the best chefs in the world
World known Italian chef Massimo Bottura who starred in the first episode of Netflix’s original series Chef’s Table began posting cooking tutorials on Instagram in a series he dubbed #KitchenQuarantine not long after Italy entered a lockdown due to COVID-19. He offered step-by-step tutorials for classic Italian recipes such as Paciugo, pasta al pomodoro, and almond gelato with pistachio sauce, just to name a few.
Hopefully this recap of year 2020 can bring you some joy to overcome all the sad things that happened in 2020. As Hillary DePiano said: "You can get excited about the future. The past won’t mind." No matter how much you think about the past, it won't make a difference so whatever happened in 2020, just let it be. New year, new start. I'm sure 2021 will be a better year. While we can only accept bookings that show the need of housing at the moment, we hope to see you all after lockdown if you're ever looking for short term rentals in Toronto, hopefully soon! All our premium suites at Avalon are fully furnished with a fully equipped kitchen and all the amenities you need. We have 5 types of suites ranging from studios to 2 bedroom suites so just pick one that accommodates your needs. To learn more, visit our website or call us at 416.731.1372. Stay safe and healthy everyone!