Just a few months ago, the coronavirus was some obscure “pneumonia-like” illness that was threatening the lives of those in Wuhan.
Fast forward to the present moment and it has become a worldwide pandemic affecting the lives of billions of people.
And now, 1/3 of the human population are having their daily lives disrupted due to the COVID-19:
By Now, 1/3 of The Human Population is Now on Lockdown Due to COVID-19
Just a few months ago, we would’ve never imagined a time when our government would tell us to stay home.
But now, things are drastically different. There’s even a Stay Home tag on social media.
In India, its billion-plus population went into a three-week lockdown on Wednesday, 25 March, and a third of the world is now being told to stay indoors.
In Japan, the coronavirus has forced the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to be postponed until sometime in 2021.
The Olympics was previously set on 24 July and this will be the first time that the world’s biggest sporting event has been delayed.
Governments all over the world are resorting to drastic measures to ensure that people stay at home to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “total lockdown” call doubled the number of people around the globe under some form of movement restriction to more than 2.6 billion people.
“To save India, to save its every citizen, you, your family … every street, every neighbourhood is being put under lockdown,” Modi said.
However, China Loosens Restrictions
That said, China has loosened the tough restrictions on the 50 million people in its epicentre province of Hubei on Wednesday.
This came after a months-long lockdown because the country reported no new domestic cases.
Lest you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’d know that Wuhan in China was the epicentre of the outbreak and where the virus was believed to have stemmed from.
Thankfully, residents will finally be allowed to leave from 8 April.
Ireland, on the other hand, has ordered non-essential businesses to shut, Britain planned a 4,000-bed emergency hospital in London and Spain called for practical support from the NATO military alliance.
In America, nearly 130 million Americans, or 40% of the population are currently undergoing or will soon undergo a lockdown order, including in the largest state of California.
Health Experts Say Social Isolation Is Important
This comes after governments take the advice of health experts who claim that the only way to slow down the worldwide pandemic is to impose “social isolation” measures on the population.
This could just be the only way to save the lives of the elderly and the vulnerable.
That said, not everyone is convinced.
For instance, Trump is unconvinced that social isolation is worth the massive economic cost.
“A lot of people agree with me. Our country – it’s not built to shut down,” he told Fox News. “You can destroy a country this way by closing it down.”
But at the end of the day each and every one of us, including you, dear reader, has a part to play in preventing further spread of the virus.
In the meantime, do remember to practise social distancing and good personal hygiene.
