The world is on a test: who long does it take to stop a pandemic? After how many victims? No one loves to see the statics of victims. History will judge the leaders of this generation harshly if people continue to die from this pandemic. Already, delays in board closures exposed the world significantly due to the greed and capitalist nature of our economies. A viral infection is very deadly. Just one patient could infect the whole country if not immediately identified, isolated and managed.
Many economies are under lockdown. It is a tough balancing act. Each day of lockdown represented over the US $10 billion to some economies of lost revenue daily! A total of over 4 billion people is under lockdown. If they each spend the US $10 whenever they leave home to the office wherever they go, that represents a daily loss of US $40 billion per day. The global economy is projected to lose over the US $2 trillion and more due to this virus. It is scaring all of us.
It is democracy vs dictatorship.
When it comes to pandemics, it seems some highhandedness is necessary to arrest the situation before it goes out of hand. During Ebola, the decree was simple: if someone is sick or has died of Ebola, one should hold the dead body. In African cultures, like elsewhere, burying the dead is a ritual and a big ceremony attracting so many people – relatives and friends. Initially, this fueled the spread of the disease.
Governments must act decisively. People should be sprayed. Ordered to stay at home. Those that have been exposed to the infected, be quarantined and treated accordingly.
Anyone who fails to follow the instructions must be held accountable in the interests of the country.
Coronavirus is not relenting. It thrives in communities that are not accountable to each other’s safety.
#stay safe.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
