The human body, with all its weaknesses, is susceptible to foreign invaders. In fact, all living creatures have certain weaknesses. The average fundamentalist Christian might say it is a result of sinful behaviour, but your friendly neighbourhood biologist will simply point out that the organic species is not invincible, and thus will possess flaws. In light of COVID-19, chaos has run rampant in society. Fear controls the people more so than common sense. Who can blame them? This is a new viral outbreak of a disease we know very little about and yet has killed hundreds of thousands of people, if not more. There are questions that must be asked, however. Why has the common man abandoned logic and reasoning for fear? Granted, there is little information about the disease, but is it reasonable to micro-manage how one conducts their daily life when approximately 0.1% of the world’s population has been infected? Where is the invisible line between personal liberty and safety? These questions are necessary to ask when politics has intertwined itself with societal welfare.
At this point, you might be wondering what the title has to do with everything mentioned so far. There is a reason. The first known epidemic tracks back to 1200BC, an influenza outbreak that spread throughout Central Asia. 3000 years later, modern society faces yet another outbreak, one that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a pandemic. From what I could find, I noticed that the number of epidemics and pandemics increased in the last 500 years or so. Compared to after the year 1500, outbreaks generally occurred once in a while. Since then, however, plagues would take place every few years, often claiming several million lives. If I were superstitious, I would wonder whether religion had something to do with this; the Protestant Reformation began a little over 500 years ago – coincidence? Potentially. Instead, I would argue the process of modernisation had begun around this time as well, and the concept of moving into larger towns, crowding with others, might have been the main spark. Cities have always had dense populations, but for some time, many preferred to remain in the countryside. Changing attitudes to this, the humanist belief that one could better oneself if one pursued opportunities, might have prompted others to move out of countryside.
If epidemics and pandemics have been causing societal problems for thousands of years, and we have made medical developments since then, why have we descended to global panic? It comes down to a simple answer: fear of the unknown. No matter how much we know when it comes to handling any given issue, even if thousands of years of research and development have taken place, humanity will instinctively panic the moment the unexpected occurs. Economies have crashed for as long as the national market has been in existence – we would not be calm if another Wall Street Crash occurred today. Wars have been raged on communities and nations for thousands of years – we would not continue living life so casually if World War 3 was suddenly declared. Disease is no exception. However much scientists know about disease prevention and management, the introduction of a new killer is a threat to daily life. Routines are thrown out the window. Taking a step out of your front door can mean a death sentence. This microscopic killer has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and that is just the official statistic; what about the undocumented deaths? In the 6 months that Western civilisation has been aware of COVID-19, the treatment method is still unknown. Doctors and nurses are trying anything and everything they can think of that might help cure their patients, and from there, they use whatever has been successful. This is only scratching the surface. The influence of social media and politics has exacerbated whatever sense of fear we started off with. Between conspiracy theories about the origins of the virus, the worry that this disease is potentially a means of biochemical warfare, and the constant spread of misinformation, the uncertainty is heightened.
Should we as a human race give up our liberties to protect others? Should we be forced to wear masks and apply hand sanitiser wherever we go? We must ask these questions. To the well-meaning person, they would say that by wearing masks, they are protecting others. True, there is plenty of evidence to make such a point, and in the worst-case scenario, the risk is lowered significantly. But at what point does it infringe on personal freedoms? No doubt, we have to be aware of the risks the disease can pose to our fellow man, but we must not let chaos rule. Leaders have been tasked with keeping their citizens calm, urging them to not see death just around the corner. COVID-19 may be a new disease, but the outbreak is not a new phenomenon.
