WORRIES GONE VIRAL
THE coronavirus affects the chest and head, not the bowels, never-theless, worries about the condition are becoming a pain in the ass.
I say that because, over here in the UK where I am writing this thing, fear of the flu-like virus has sparked a run on items including surgical masks, alcohol-based handcleaners, bleach and toilet paper. The last item is the only one I’m concerned about, but since many of the tabloids here seem more suited to wiping than reading, I suppose I’ll be alright.
That may seem a bit harsh, but I think the media have made the situation worse by flaming fears that have rocked the travel industry, cost jobs, driven the stock market down and led to panic buying.
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting coronavirus doesn’t pose real dangers for people who already have health issues, especially breathing problems. It does; but so do the flu and most other viral and bacterial infections… and coronavirus does not kill otherwise healthy people the way Ebola does.
The thing that really bothers me, though, is the fear. As former US President Franklin Roosevelt said when he was trying to pull his nation out of the Great Depression in 1933, ‘fear itself’ can paralyse people and become the most difficult problem to solve. And at the moment, fear of the virus seems to be putting an unnecessary additional strain on the health services.
It is also making people more selfish. I saw an example of that last week when I went to visit a friend who is recovering from knee surgery. He was fine with me, but his wife kept her distance and aggressively refrained from her usual hug when I left.
I don’t get it. People are staying away from friends, clubs and things like yoga classes, but they are still going to work and into stores and, hopefully, having close contact with their children when they come home from school.
But then again, selfishness may be part of the reason I’m irritated by the current scare. You see, other people’s fear of travelling and spending time in airports almost prevented me from flying back to Botswana. It also cost me a bit of cash and one of my writing days to sort things out.
I bought flights from Birmingham, England to Gaborone for my partner and me long before anyone in the west had heard of coronavirus, and then, the day before we were supposed to fly, Turkish Air cancelled one of our flights. That led to several hours on the internet and speaking to airlines representatives trying to get a refund so I could purchase other tickets.
I also had to endure over three hours of bad music while I was on hold on the phone. As it turns out, though, that day may have been a blessing in disguise and I’m not overly upset that I had to pay a bit more for the new flights.
The connections are far better, so we will spend more time in Botswana and less in airports, and despite other people’s worries, instead of expecting the journey to be a pain in the ass, I can’t wait to take off.