In the past couple of months, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus is “a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China.” Some of the symptoms include fevers, colds, and trouble breathing, but these symptoms normally appear five days after infection (The New York Post). However, the two week span from the time of exposure is a “safer” window to determine if an individual in fact has the virus. Therefore, people can go days without being diagnosed, and unknowingly transmit the disease to others.
In response to the spread, many are responding in panic, and paranoia has taken over much of the world. As a result, people have been limiting their interactions with one another as well as wearing masks. However, wearing a mask does not necessarily help prevent the disease because viruses can also enter the body through eyes and tiny viral particles can penetrate masks. If closely interacting with one who has the disease, it would be the smarter choice to wear the mask, but masks generally do not make a difference if you’re just completing your normal activities (Can a Face Mask Stop Coronavirus?). In addition to wearing masks, the paranoia has been taken to an extreme because people are acting unkind towards one another, especially teenagers, by teasing their peers who are feeling ill for completely different reasons. In addition the general public has been unsympathetic towards those who have the disease, as if it is under their control. Rather than uniting together and being supportive, people are only looking for answers and someone to blame for the outbreak.
As the virus continues to spread, the issue of being in public places with a significant amount of interaction, such as schools are taking precaution. At many schools, including Germantown Academy, an online system has been implemented in the case the virus gets severe to the point where it is unsafe to be at school. These systems allow the entire class to take place, but online. Germantown Academy has not figured out all of the logistics yet, but is taking precaution to make sure the community stays healthy and safe.
The origin of the Coronavirus was in China. Therefore, in addition to panic, people are looking for something or someone to blame, and many are blaming all Asian people. College campuses in particular are struggling with this issue, as Chinese students feel secluded from the community because of where they are from (The Emory Wheel). The news has misrepresented the virus and because of this people misunderstand it, which causes them to make assumptions about people. For example the over exaggeration of the illness when it is similar to the flu. Even though the Coronavirus has had a higher death rate, these people are mostly elderly, who are more prone to being infected. Further, there currently is not a vaccine for the disease so people are not immune to it and respond harshly. While the flu causes many deaths, according to The National Review, “the coronavirus is both more deadly and more contagious than the seasonal flu” as the death rate for Coronavirus is higher than the flu. However according to research at John Hopkins, “the flu is showing much more of an impact on Americans than COVID-19” (Maragakis). The difference in the public’s reactions to the viruses is interesting and the lack of knowledge on Coronavirus contributes significantly to the world’s fear of becoming infected. Such fears of becoming infected by the disease cause people to look for something or someone to blame, a pattern displayed particularly in American history. Every time something terrible happens, the world turns to fear and finds someone or something to blame to get justice for their pain. Further, people are afraid of the unknown, and in result turn to the media, which is not always reliable to give them an answer. Ironically, people go to the media to calm themselves down and figure out what is going on in the world, but the media’s exaggeration only increases the fear. Because of people’s fear, they look for a scapegoat or someone to blame and the fear of coming into contact with the virus has turned into a racist widespread across the nation. While coronavirus is still primarily new, they are working on ways to help prevent and contain it to not only help those affected, but calm the world’s fears.
In Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, there are eight cases, one of which is a relative of a student at our very own school. In response the school has shut down and will be implementing virtual GA where students will have classes online. This was a good precautionary measure because it helps ensure that our community is the safest it can be. This shut down may also cause stress for students because they do not necessarily know what is going to happen with their school work. However, the school is working with the teachers to ensure that all students still get the attention they need through virtual GA which will take place Thursday, March 12th through March 17th. While this may be anxiety provoking for many families and individuals, it is important that we stay calm and mindful when talking about the virus because families in our own community have been affected. Therefore, students should be sensitive and understand how important it is that we come together as the community of Germantown Academy to continue to support one another despite this set back.