CoVid-19

CoVid-19. We've been hearing that a lot lately. It has dominated the news and our minds. And for good reason. It's a pandemic, an epidemic of global reach. It's affecting every country and every human being on earth. Perhaps a once in a lifetime occurrence. Or at least let's hope it is. Health experts the world over are doing their best to not only learn more about the virus, but to develop an antidote for it. But it is proving to be a formidable foe. Just read an article this morning, from a reputable, reliable source, those of which are not all that common these days, that the virus isn't even a living thing. It doesn't have any of the traditional trappings of life: metabolism, motion, the ability to reproduce. Outside a host, the virus is dormant. And it can last that way for a long time. It can remain viable - potentially infectious - on cardboard for up to 24 hours. In 2014, a virus frozen in permafrost for 30,000 years was retrieved by scientists and was able to infect an amoeba after being revived in the lab. Thirty thousand years. This is indeed a formidable foe...
World leaders are doing their best to take measures to contain and hopefully soon, stop the spread of infection. Well, most world leaders. China, it appears from the facts coming to light, could have avoided for the most part what is happening today by taking action sooner to contain the virus when it first appeared. Instead, they chose to silence the doctors and health officials who first became aware of the virus' existence. Hence, it began to spread uncontrolled in China, then to the rest of the world. They have since attempted to shift blame to others, particularly the United States, with lies and propaganda. Typical communist SOP. This week, they have proclaimed that there has not been one single reported case of the virus. Not one. If you believe that I've got some oceanfront property in Arizona for you.
Here in the US, officials have been issuing directives and orders to work from home, avoid crowds and specifying crowd size, close various business and organizations. These are necessary measures, no doubt and the effects of such are devastating. Many are losing their jobs, means of supporting their families, lives are being altered in horrible ways. And we haven't even peaked, the worst is yet to come, if that's possible. This is akin to a plot from a science fiction novel. The virus may be novel but this isn't fiction.
Government officials from the President on down are issuing proclamations, recommendations, directives, orders and ordinances concerning what the public should and should not do, what we can and cannot do and what penalties and fines we are subject to for not adhering to the new rules. Threats of jail time, prison time are being thrown about. Desperate measures for desperate times. Most of us understand the gravity of the situation understand and that some inconvenient restrictions have to be made to deal with it.
We, nor has the world faced anything like this before in modern times. Like nothing before it will require working together, putting aside differences. Failing to do so will cost lives. From this tragedy, literally anything could happen. No one knows what the future holds. This is one time that humans need to come together and put aside politics, ideologies, conflicts, and even nationalism. And looking back at the history of the world, that isn't likely to happen...