COVID-19, a name that strikes fear in the hearts of young and old alike. At the turn of the year, not many would have foreseen what the world would have to battle with at the wake of each day since the beginning of March. The toughest this vile strange virus has done is the death toll that keeps mounting by the second, minutes, days and weeks. For the first time in a long while – if there was any other- the world has come together to battle this very deadly virus and I think it’s only accurate to say there are no signs we are winning the battle.
The Pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease and effort to quarantine. The spread of this unwanted stranger is now almost global, concerns have shifted to decreased business in the service sector. There have been widespread reports of supply shortages of pharmaceuticals, with many areas seeing panic buying and consequent shortages of food and other essential grocery items. The technology industry, in particular, has been warning about delays to shipments of electronic goods.
The pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to the widespread closures of schools and universities. As of 16 March 2020, governments in 73 countries have announced or implemented school closures, including 56 countries which closed schools nationwide and 17 countries with localized school closures. Country-wide school closures have affected over 421 million learners globally while localized school closures have put over 577 million learners potentially at risk. According to data released by UNESCO on 10 March, school and university closures due to COVID-19 have left one in five students out of school globally.
The pandemic has impacted religion in various ways, including the cancellation of the worship services of various faiths, the closure of Sunday Schools, as well as the cancellation of pilgrimages surrounding observances and festivals. Many churches and mosques have offered worship through Livestream amidst the pandemic. Relief wings of religious organisations have dispatched disinfection supplies, powered air-purifying respirators, face shields, gloves, coronavirus nucleic acid detection reagents, ventilators, patient monitors, syringe pumps, infusion pumps, and food to affected areas. Adherents of many religions have gathered together to pray for an end to the pandemic, for those affected by it, as well as for the God they believe in to give physicians and scientists the wisdom to combat the disease; in the United States, Trump designated 15 March 2020 as a National Day of Prayer for “God’s healing hand to be placed on America”.
The possibility has been raised that the pandemic could cause a “revolution in working from home”, as major companies have implemented expanded telecommuting arrangements for their employees to prevent the virus from spreading. There could also be a negative impact on business travel and international conferencing and the rise of their virtual equivalents.
There have also been claims that globalization could be jeopardized by a prolonged global health crisis, as supply chains have been disrupted and reliance on the Chinese economy questioned. Also, restrictions on immigration and increased border enforcement may be seen as justified.
In the wake of all these, we can only hope and pray that a solution is found to this vile creature called COVID-19. Moreso, we all need to unite and do the needful. It is up to every citizen of the world to fight and by fight, I mean take measures. We can only win this WAR a BATTLE at a time!!!
