Like many people I think it is really important that COVID-19 is taken seriously. Not being an expert in the subject I won’t make pronouncements about what specific measures governments should be taking, but I hope they are prioritising the advice of doctors and epidemiologists over that of spin doctors and economists. Unfortunately in light of its slow and contradictory response, it is hard to be confident of this. Having said all of that, can I also ask people to keep their experiences of the pandemic in perspective? It is frightening and its myriad consequences will be far-reaching and hard to predict, but not every consequence of the virus is equally horrifying. The two things I worry most about are obviously the direct (and potentially fatal) impact on the health of millions of people, as well as the financial impact on people in insecure employment areas. But that hasn’t happened to me yet (aggressively crossing fingers) and hopefully doesn’t. The first consequences many of us are feeling are not disasters, but inconveniences and need to be treated as such. So far I’ve experienced a bit of difficulty finding things in shops and had a few upcoming events and games of sport cancelled. Those people loudly dismissing or complaining about containment measures should perhaps take a moment to consider the impact of this pandemic on others. If that is the worst that happens to me and those around me, I’ll consider myself very lucky and you certainly won’t hear me whinging.
I sure as hell won’t question or criticise a single business or entity that voluntarily closes or cancels events either.
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