Coronavirus — what do we tell the children?
NOBODY LIKES uncertainty, especially now in 2020, when very little is left to chance.
We live in an age when we can check the ‘real time’ progress of trains — which usually means discovering they are late again; be sure that we haven’t left the central heating on during the day and, thanks to the wonders of streaming, we are very rarely left in limbo, wondering what happens in the next episode of our favourite series.
This reliance on wall-towall convenience by much of the world’s population is largely why the uncertainty facing us right now is so unsettling for so many of us.
Coronavirus, or Covid-19 to give it the name being used by over-earnest people wearing white coats, is pretty much what everybody is talking about right now and, this time, we cannot blame the hysteria squarely on the British media.
At the time of writing, several thousand people have died from an illness that has infected many more in six out of the seven continents, with grim warnings that it isn’t going to get better anytime soon.
But nobody can give us any firm answers and, thus far, the UK Government seems to be adopting the Lance Corporal Jones ‘don’t panic’ approach, which involves saying very little publicly, except for advising us all to wash our hands. Worldwide, financial markets have taken a pummeling, sporting events have been postponed while schools and factories have closed in the worst-affected parts of Asia. Even the most optimistic of economic soothsayers are struggling to rule out the possibility of a global recession, should this health crisis continue to spread fear at the rate it is.
The much-needed guidance that we require from international leaders has not been forthcoming but is that really a surprise, given the unpredictability of this virus? That begs the question that if professors, prime ministers and presidents aren’t able to provide us with firm answers then what hope of parents got of assuaging the very real fears of our children?
Coronavirus is the talk of playgrounds everywhere, and despite the measured way the message is being conveyed across many schools, there is genuine concern among the young and impressionable.
My 10-year-old is no exception and, if she had the means, would seriously consider upping sticks to Antarctica — the only corner of the globe that has escaped its reach.
While we all want engaged children, who are aware of their surroundings and the dangers that they might pose, we don’t want them to be terrified of going about the business of growing up.
I have already failed with my attempts at giving some much-needed context, by pointing out that fewer than 100,000 of the world’s population of nearly eight billion, have caught something that is only likely to cause you serious harm if you are very old or have a serious illness.
‘Unconvincing’ was the withering assessment of my impression of a responsible adult.
I thought I had struck a chord when I parroted the fact that, each year people die from the ‘flu in the UK, but was quickly reminded ‘we have a jab for the ‘flu dad — we have to wait a year for the vaccine for this’.
I suspect that I might have to work that little bit harder if I want to bring some certainty to the Tapp household.