COVID-19 Blog

At the end of December 2019, cases of what was initially believed to be pneumonia were detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. In early January those cases were confirmed to be the new virus that would be later named the coronavirus and COVID-19. A few months later, the coronavirus has spread to Europe, America, and now Africa and been declared a global pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. As the rest of the world begins to experience the same issues that China is just starting to recover from, the gravity of the virus is becoming more understood and governments and individuals are taking actions. The UN has most recently released US$15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), called for an immediate global ceasefire, and launched a Global Humanitarian response plan all in an attempt to mitigate the virus. In addition, non-essential businesses, schools, and travels have ceased their normal routine and social distancing has been enforced across the globe.
I think the coronavirus is making governments and individuals reconsider their priorities such as not putting time and money into war and not going out to public places. The coronavirus is a global threat and we should recognize that our response to the virus has broader effects. Ed Holt argues that the Rich Countries should be protecting the developing nations during this pandemic and I would agree to some extent. Given how easily the coronavirus has spread, it should be apparent how connected the world is and that one country's problem is liable to affect others. As we saw with China, the world was not overly concerned with the coronavirus until there were outbreaks in our own countries. I think it is to everyone’s benefit to help the countries that are struggling for economic reasons with the virus as the ultimate goal would be to cure the entire world of the virus. With this goal in mind, it also would not be optimal for the US and other more rich countries to extend aid to foreign countries if they do not have the virus under control in their own nation. There are so many unknowns surrounding the coronavirus so it is hard to say what the best solution would be but I hope our government will figure it out. In the meantime, we should all do our part by washing our hands and staying at home.

Comments

Callista Wilson said…
The point you bring up about nations changing their priorities in terms of war and conflicts is interesting, because with any drastic change, things are usually put into new perspectives. As the future unfolds, it may be inevitable that challenges will continue to arise which affect the entire world rather than single countries. Other challenges which would likely require united responses include climate change, nuclear disarmament, and even mental health. As we continue to face the virus, and work toward controlling it in the long term, it is important to consider the wider implications of the divisions between countries, and how the wars with the highest stakes will ultimately become ones where nations must fight on the same side.
March 29, 2020 at 7:21 PM
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