My opinion on Coronavirus

The new decade hasn't been as full of hope and bliss as many of us hoped it would be. The rapidly spreading Coronavirus has been the main concern in most people's minds all over the world. And it makes sense as many people have died because of it. The measures governments enforce are getting stricter and stricter as the days go by.

In Greece, the majority of shops and businesses, all the schools and universities have closed down for over two weeks. People are constantly advised to stay at home, avoid social gatherings and contact especially with elder people or those with chronic health issues. Those who go out without a serious reason are fined 150€ as police officers are in the streets and question pedestrians and drivers why they are outside. It goes without saying that washing our hands and trying to wipe out any bacteria by clearing items that we touch and we share with others are necessary actions for protecting ourselves and our loved ones. Additionally, I have to mention that news and shows discuss and analyse every new piece of information about Coronavirus almost all day every day.

I do believe that the government's actions are astonishingly useful and imperative in order to reduce the number of people catching the virus. It is extemely easy for people to get infected as if you touch a surface where the droplets of a sick person's cough or sneeze have landed, you get sick as these harmful microbes have a lifespan of a few hours. And the reason we are asked to stay at home and social distance ourselves from others is so that the number of people infected by the virus is reduced. That is of utmost importance so that doctors can effectively provide for and treat patients not only with Coronavirus but also with all other possible health issues. Otherwise, the health system is likely to crash as doctors, nurses and the rest of the staff will not be able to deal with the rapidly increasing number of incoming patients.

However, I do feel like the media make people panic. That is because in Greek television channels, the air time for the news is expanded and they rarely discuss any issue other than Coronavirus. I understand the need of informing citizens about the virus and reminding them of the seriousness of the situation since about 20,000 have died from it worldwide so far. Nevertheless, we should not forget that this will not be the end of the world and that there are other pressing political and social issues that citizens have the right to be informed about. 

The purpose of this post, however, is to criticise some inappropriate and reprehensible behaviours that ordinary -in no place of power, I mean- citizens demonstrate. People feel that they are losing control as their or their loved ones' life seems to be at risk. That leads them to buy as many necessities as they can without caring that nothing will be left for their fellow humans. People getting into fights for taking the last toilet paper packets or for hand sanitizers is a common sight. At the same time, there is another group of people, especially young ones, who instead of stressing over the virus, they dismiss it as something trivial, as something that is not their concern. This is because they are unwilling to deal with all the potential dangers that such a severe virus can cause. They maintain that they can continue living their life as usual and only elder people or those with health issues should be quarantined at their homes. Both of these attitudes don't take into account the personal responsibility that every human has so that this global crisis is subdued but also they forget that their recklessness can damage the function of hospitals which entails that doctors may not be able to treat them in case of an accident or a simple sickness.

To conclude, being considerate and kind is the only way I can see so that something good can come out of this tragic situation; looking out for each other and leaving any selfish tendencies behind are essential traits for dealing effectively with this pandemic and also for establishing a world worth living in. 

Sources:
What is coronavirus, how did it start and could the outbreak grow bigger?
Staticts and Graphs about coronavirus 
DOSE OF STUPID: CORONAVIRUS EDITION by Def Noodles