100,000 deaths already

More than 101,000 people have lost the fight against Covid-19 while about 1.6 million cases have been confirmed. The virus has tested our limits and brought about intense fear and paranoia amongst the people. Let us recap — the first 50,000 deaths took 83 days and the tally crossed 100,000 in a further 8 days. For those that still think the gravity of the situation is being exaggerated, these numbers are no joke. Italy has witnessed a week where the daily death toll was around 900; New York had to call in additional funeral directors to manage the surge in dead bodies; and the finance minister of the German state of Hesse committed suicide out of desperation. Frontline workers are tirelessly grinding day and night to control the situation without having to see their families, knowing well that they could be the next victim. Economies have started to collapse while countries desperately seek funds. Many claim that the clocks have been turned back 30 years as half a billion people could be pushed into poverty and the IMF warns the situation could lead to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

While various first world countries are on their knees, the virus has already started to spread drastically in poorer nations that neither have the means nor the funds to fight the battle. For a country like Pakistan that is entering the critical phase of the spread it is paramount that citizens abide by social distancing and quarantine measures. All types of social, religious and political mass gatherings need to banned. Petty political differences should be brushed aside as a strong collective effort is a must. Everyone needs to be on the same page as the situation is much bigger than any one person. We need to bear in mind that this fight is a collective one and in such a situation selfish individual morality loses its meaning. Now is the time to decide if we are to be a part of the problem or the solution. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2020.

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