The first time I heard anything about COVID-19 was around Chinese New Year. At the time, it was just a light conversation topic at dinner. 

“So I’ve heard that people are getting flu-like symptoms in Wuhan.” 

“Oh, yeah. That’s right. Must suck because there’s so much traveling going on during the New Year.” 

“Mhm. Anyway, how’s school?” 

Then, for the next month and a half, I began to see and hear the term “coronavirus” being thrown around.  But it was never in my focus; it was always pushed back into my subconscious. Coronavirus, I thought. Like the beer. Not such a bad name for a sickness. That name rolls right off the tongue. 

But then the term wasn’t just thrown around anymore. Every morning as I scrolled through New York Times and BBC headlines, there was always “The Novel Coronavirus” and “Coronavirus Spreading Across..” Conversations were about coronavirus this and coronavirus that and “What if it comes to the US?” But we only knew the idea of this new virus. Though it had spread to Europe, it was still oceans away. All we did was look on as populations were infected. 

As we looked on, others traveled across the ocean. And so did the virus. Before we knew it, the virus, which started halfway across the world in China, had multiplied billions of times over and its ugly replicas found its way into the remote suburbs of the greater New York area. 

Just one week ago, we were all going about our normal daily business, unaware of just how serious and spreadable this virus is. Now, look at us, finally taking precautions. It’s about time that schools are switching to remote learning. (I can’t believe it took that long; if schools wait until one student or staff member has it, it would already be too late.) Concerts, athletic events, and public gatherings are being postponed. 

This is also a time where the negative sides of human nature are being exposed. Desperate times call for desperate measures, sure. But we should not be reacting to times like these with mob mentality and mass hysteria, stockpiling obscene quantities of toilet paper and hiking hand sanitizer prices up to $50 to the point where the people who actually need some don’t have the means to obtain it and they end up burning their palms from counterfeit hand sanitizer. Humans are supposed to be collaborative creatures; let’s work with, not against, each other.

Dr. Abdu Sharkawy from the University of Toronto says, “Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society. Let’s meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing.” We are living through a part of history. In times like these, it may be hard to think rationally, to see any sort of light, to be grateful for anything. But I implore you to try. I can’t say this will all be over soon, and it will continue to get worse before it gets better. Let’s just all be active, responsible citizens, travel only when absolutely necessary, and practice good hygiene.