An excellent post and question! I preface my response by saying my wife and I are retired, with pensions and social security, and live in a comfortable and safe home with access to beautiful wooded areas for walking, etc. right out our door.
So...I am responding with full awareness that many Camino pilgrims are not so fortunate and are having a much more difficult time right now waiting for the day when they can return to the Camino.
We, too, do not feel that COVID-19 has “robbed us of life and time.” In fact, after being completely isolated for nearly a year, we have found the experience to be a a profoundly deep and spiritually enriching one. In fact we have come to see that we are still “on the Way” spiritually even though we can’t actually be on the literal Camino right now. Our relationships with friends and family continue with the help of the internet, we’ve had more time for reading, cooking, and for the pursuit of our individual interests, and for contemplative prayer and meditation time. We think it is important to recognize that the Camino should not be worshipped as an idol, but rather venerated, like an icon, as a “window” to a deeper view of life. Our two walks on the Frances and the Portuguese have taught us that our entire life journey is a Camino which we continued walking even through the darker days of COVID-19. Buen Camino to all as we look forward to our
next Camino (the Norte’) either Fall, 2021 or Spring, 2022.