Globe Gripped by Pandemonium Pandemic
- Tejas Rokhade
- Mar 13, 2020
- 4 min read
The pandemonium pandemic that began with the quarantining of Wuhan has spread panic across the globe now. Besides Italy’s internal lockdown, many countries like India have suspended travel visas of affected countries. Advisory against mass gatherings has been the key preventive measure as prominent people are getting affected by the virus and sports leagues are being suspended. Leaving behind handshakes and hugs, the world has now ushered into the era of Namaste.
Crux of the Matter
Current Numbers Using the metaphor ‘the earth has stopped revolving’ would not be an understatement for the stinging breaks that Coronavirus has put on the world. With the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declaring it ‘pandemic’, the globe is gripped with the panic of this pandemonium. Trade has halted, causing markets across the world to crash. Citizens are panicking and are panic buying. But how can the Italians panic-buy when all the stores are dead shut! Italy’s Coronavirus lockdown is being tightened as deaths in the country have crossed the 1,000-mark. It is the second-worst COVID-19-hit country, both in terms of number of cases and number of deaths.
#CoronaVirusUpdate: Number of deaths is near to the 5,000-mark. With @WHO officially declaring the virus as #pandemic, there is an urgent need for preventive measures#Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/sOnLaLrfQo — Summachar – News that Matters (@summachar_in) March 13, 2020
The total number of positive cases is more than 130,000. The number of deaths is very close to the 5,000-mark. World mortality rate from Coronavirus was estimated to be 3.4% from WHO as of 3 March 2020. Italy’s mortality rate is approximately 6.7% as compared to 3.94% in China as of 13 March 2020. In India, there have been 75 positive cases. A 76-year old Karnataka man was India’s first fatality.
#CoronaVirusUpdate: This map shows the number of deaths in affected countries since the outbreak began. Stay Safe! #Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/sfgEI44rV0 — Summachar – News that Matters (@summachar_in) March 13, 2020
Escalating Impact of the Pandemic Popular celebrities like Tom Hanks and his wife have been tested positive. The magnifying impact of the pandemic Coronavirus was witnessed when athletes in Football and Basketball tested positive for the virus and entire seasons of various sports were suspended. Sports leagues like NBA, MLS, NHL, MLB, etc. and Tennis tournaments in US were canceled after two NBA players tested positive. Football fans went frantic as Juventus star Christiano Ronaldo was quarantined after his teammate tested positive. Major football leagues like La Liga, Primeira Liga, Serie A, Dutch Eredivisie, etc. were suspended as well. Amidst Coronavirus scare, India suspended travel Visas of several countries. Owing to that and the virus outbreak, BCCI is mulling over canceling or postponing the world’s most attended cricket tournament, Indian Premier League (IPL). Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s wife has also been tested positive for the virus. Financial Markets across the globe have also taken a hit due to the pandemonium of the virus. US 10-year Treasury Bond inverted after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to combat panic. India’s benchmark stock index SENSEX witnessed its worst fall in history on 12 March 2020. Airlines, oil industry, trade and commerce, and almost everything except cloud computing, and cell phone or technology related services have taken a serious hit.
Source: Yahoo Finance Legend – Light Blue – China, Red – US, Purple – UK, Orange – India, Yellow – Australia
However, it seems that the markets are favoring the Chinese. China’s Shangai Composite Index, when compared with leading world economies, has gained during the last month. In the first week of March, the trend line shows a high rise in China’s stock market. Today’s bearish market pulled SSE Composite Index a little down, yet the market is still gaining over 1%.
A viral video shows Karnataka poultry farmer burying 6,000 chickens in a mass grave, due to the falling demand for amidst Coronavirus outbreak.https://t.co/BxECkn7mg1 — News18 (@CNNnews18) March 12, 2020
Due to Coronavirus, the Poultry industry also received a shock as poultry prices dropped by 60%. Price of wholesale chicken came down from Rs. 85 to Rs. 25 in Mysuru. Some attribute this decline in price to the misinformation being spread on social media and some to this year’s bulk of poultry production. The price of eggs in Mysuru also came down to Rs. 3.5/piece.
Greeting Through Namaste
#WATCH US President Donald Trump: We (him&PM of Ireland) didn't shake hands today&we looked at each other&said what are we going to do?Sort of a weird feeling. We did this (joined hands). I just got back from India&I didn't shake any hands there. It was easy. #CoronaVirusPandemic pic.twitter.com/5uTSKTf7bO — ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2020
WHO urged citizens to take precautionary measures against the pandemic by avoiding touching one’s nose, mouth, and eyes. It also said that one should be wary of coming in contact with people who are sick or coughing or sneezing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked citizens to find a way to avoid handshake and greet in Indian ways like ‘Namaste’. He even demonstrated it in a press conference. President of France, Emmanuel Macron while meeting the Spanish King prompted to use Namaste to greet rather than shaking hands.
Namaste 🙏🏻 🙏🏻 See we Indians told to do this to world many many years ago. Now just a class on ‘how to do namaste properly’. #CoronaVirus pic.twitter.com/P1bToirPin — Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) March 12, 2020
Curiopedia
Prevention is Better than Cure Currently, no vaccine is available for the cure of Coronavirus. World Health Organization (WHO) has advised that the most efficient way to avoid illness is prevention. WHO says:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick, have a cold, or are coughing and sneezing.
Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds.
Cover your hands while coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose in public.
If soap and water are not at your disposal, use a sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes with unwashed hands.
If you are sick, avoid going to public places and mass gatherings.
As face masks may be in short supply, wear one only if you are sick or you are caring for someone who is sick.
Keep frequently touched surfaces clean and disinfect them from time to time. More Info
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