THE Covid-19 pandemic has left the world in a state of anxiety. A saving grace in this situation is the prevalence of social media whose influence and reach are greater than that of an organisation or country.

After the coronavirus outbreak, many family chat groups around the globe started hosting messages. Many web-based social networking channels, saw an increase in the postings and images taunting the people who raised alarm about Covid-19 as nothing more than their neurosis.

An earlier reaction by the Chinese authorities, and global bodies like the World Health Organization, would have helped. Had the alarm been raised earlier, action could have been taken to contain the virus. However, better late than never! The world now needs to act as one to stop this pandemic. Thankfully, WHO now is putting up regular bulletins to address the misconceptions about coronavirus.

In Pakistan, Covid-19 has come as a reality-check and as an expose as to how careless we are as a nation. Despite the Sindh government’s appeals to the public to stay indoors and practice social distancing, the people are not listening and acting irresponsibly. They have chosen to ignore the gravity of the situation. One wonders whether the state will lose patience and make a liberal use of the rod. This is the time all people should voluntarily go into lockdown.

As citizens we should learn from the mistakes of others and how the Chinese overcame this menace. The sole remedy is to restrict one’s physical contact with others.

Mahreen Kazi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2020