This virus has led to a hysteria due to the lack of knowledge of what is to come. The government has to take responsibility for that. Panic buying has been the result of the lack of information being sent out by the government. People don’t know what the plan is and how we are going to over come this suffering. As a result, people are assuming we will also follow countries like China and Italy by implementing domestic lockdown. However, from the information the government has sent out, this is far from the truth. That still does not answer the question regarding how we will overcome this virus.
With a mortality rate of 3.4%, the Coronavirus is deadly, compared to the seasonal flu which kills less than 1%. Those at risk at the elderly and people with underlying health condition. With the UK being one of the worst hit countries, with each day being even worse, the lack of action from the government is alarming. They are playing with people’s lives. Saying that, their actions fall in line with Tory policies of the last ten years. Throughout their reign in power, the Tories have continued to risk the lives of the most vulnerable in society. It’s what they do. They feel no remorse each time a death is confirmed. Remember, this is the party that caused the death of 130,000 people due to austerity. As long as they have the media on their side, they will continue.
It is clear the government are acting on their own accord, when scientist, doctors and other countries are coming out with information completely contradicting the government. Whilst the government are telling us to listen to the scientist, the scientists are criticising the governments plan by saying they are risking people’s lives. Maybe the government should be the ones to act on their advice. Under the current plans of the government, their aim is to achieve herd immunity, by infecting the population. If half of the population is infected, we could see a million people dying from this virus. That is what the government is trying to achieve.
Personally, I’m not surprised the government is acting in this manner. However, it is the actions of local businesses that is disheartening. Many of these businesses are the bedrock of their community. People, especially the elderly, rely on these businesses for their weekly shopping. It is an absolute disgrace that these businesses are now turning their backs on their community in search of profits. To put up the price of daily necessity is horrible. You are exploiting people at their weakest. Shame on you. It really disheartens me when I see smaller businesses doing this, especially when big corporations are the ones that are taking the stand against price gouging. Smaller businesses are part of the local community. They should be the ones taking the stand and looking out for their community.
If we are to effectively tackle this virus, we have to start listening to the experts. It’s great having daily updates from the government, but we should also be having these daily updates from scientists. It is their advice we should be listening to. That is why we need daily updates. Also, make it easier to access this information.
Their needs to be a crackdown on misinformation. One of the reasons why we are in this mess is because of misinformation. False information has led to mass-hysteria, resulting in panic-buying. This virus is deadly, but most people will make a full recovery. People who live healthy lifestyles are not at risk of dying. Saying that, there are also people not taking this virus seriously, which has led to the rapid spread. It is not just a glorified flu. It is spreading and spreading fast. You may not be at risk of dying, but there are millions of people who are. By acting selfishly, and not taking the right precautions, you are risking their lives. We should be doing the utmost to protect each and every life.
We need to start acting as a community once again. People need to start looking out for each other. If we are to get through this, we have to stop this selfishness. We are constantly reminded of the spirit of the blitz. During the blitz people worked together to get through such a difficult period. That is what we need to do. Be considerate of each other.
We are being told to make changes to our lifestyle. Social distancing does not mean we forget about each other. It does not mean we act as individuals. During this period especially, we should not forget about the elderly. Make sure your grandparents are doing fine. If they need anything from the supermarket, go buy it for them. Do not forget about the most vulnerable people within our society.
Finally, and most importantly, we need the government to step up to the challenge. At the moment they are clearly failing. They have no plans whatsoever. They are putting the interest of big corporations ahead of the public. Small decisions such as a ban on mass gatherings are still not implemented. Maybe closing schools is not the answer but keeping classroom sizes this big is not healthy.
We need to rearrange our society for the next couple of months, but the government is acting like business as usual. They are playing a dangerous game with peoples lives, that will lead to deaths of thousands, if things don’t change.
Aleha
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