Riz Ahmed, known for his roles in Venom and Rogue One, has revealed he’s lost two family members to the coronavirus. The actor disclosed the news in an interview with GQ Hype, and here’s what he had to say regarding his loss:
“I have lost two family members to COVID. I just want to believe their deaths and all the others aren’t for nothing. We gotta step up to reimagine a better future.”
The human cost of the coronavirus has been immense. Unusually in an age where the general public can feel so segregated from celebrity life, looking in from the outside at the bubble of the wealthy, this is a crisis with an impact irrespective of class. Ahmed’s loss is as tragic as any of the thousands dealing with bereavement at this time, but it’s humbling to hear popular figures speak up about their losses, too.
Also, the grim truth is this is unlikely to be the last time we report on stories like this. Sincerest regards to Ahmed and his family.
I won’t trot out the many dire statistics in relation to the pandemic, as there’s enough bad news to go around. Instead, I’ll opt to take a more pragmatic overview. Lockdowns the world over are flattening infection curves, and a gradual easing of restrictions should help society adapt to the problem without triggering a second peak in cases. The coronavirus is something we’ll all have to learn to deal with and adapt to until a vaccine becomes readily available, and we still don’t know when that’ll be.
Until then? Got to keep calm and carry on. It’ll get easier. More people will be allowed to go back to work soon and there’ll be more social interactions. But no trips to the movies for at least several more months by the look of it. Sitting down at home to watch what we’ve got (possibly including Venom?) will just be one of those adaptations I mentioned then (if not what governments meant by them).