Economic statistics will never fully capture the extent of the sacrifices of Britain’s youth during the pandemic. For a generation of students and pupils it was a lost chance to make friends, explore who they are and, gradually, become adults — as well as to learn, in person. In the face of the deaths in the broader population, it is easy to dismiss as frivolous the setbacks of those who missed partying, travelling and dating during the long months stuck inside but these are still years of carefree youth they will not get back. What is more, most of these privations were primarily to protect those from older generations, the most vulnerable to the coronavirus.
經(jīng)濟(jì)統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)字將永遠(yuǎn)不能完全反映出英國青年在這場大流行病中犧牲了多少。對于這一代學(xué)生來說，他們失去了結(jié)交朋友、探索自我并逐漸成長為人,以及親身學(xué)習(xí)的機(jī)會。在有人死于新冠疫情之際，我們很容易認(rèn)為被困在室內(nèi)長達(dá)數(shù)月而錯(cuò)過聚會、旅行和約會的人所經(jīng)歷的這些挫折無關(guān)痛癢，但這是他們再也無法重返的無憂無慮的青春時(shí)光。更重要的是，他們所經(jīng)歷的困境大多是為了讓他們與最易感染新冠病毒的老年人隔絕開來。