At this moment when the world is battling against the Novel Coronavirus, which infected 307,280 people globally and even after WHO told can that it can sicken or kill young people as well as they must also avoid communicating and spreading it to older and more vulnerable people, the chairman of Arizona's Asian Chamber of Commerce did not pay much attention to the warning and attended a dinner at a local restaurant.
Ryan Winkle joined the dinner to bolster the business and bring together other leaders to discuss how to they can help the Asian-American eateries devastated by the Coronavirus outbreak. He said of the dinner held Saturday in Mesa, Arizona:
"I started getting some messages saying, 'Hey, why are you trying to spread the virus?' I was like, 'It's a small event, and everyone had washed their hands, and they had sanitizer on the tables. My thinking is always about economics. Imagine when all these businesses shut down. That's a whole different problem."
WHO message to world
During a recent virtual press conference WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that "Solidarity is the key to defeating COVID-19 - solidarity between countries, but also between age groups. Thank you for heeding our call for solidarity, solidarity, solidarity."
Dr Maria Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist stated that the organization is changing to say "physical distance" and that is on purpose because we want people to remain connected, "so find ways to do that, find ways through the Internet and through different social media to remain connected because your mental health going through this (pandemic) is just as important as your physical health."
Quarantine shaming
While in US, even though schools, public places are closed and government officials race to contain the virus with ever-expanding circles of social isolation, there are many people like Ryan Winkle who are not participating in self-isolation and still leading their normal lives. But there is a difference between having fun and going for work to lead a life.
Steve Diehl is a worker at a warehouse near Chicago. He wears a mask to the world to ensure the safety of a family member who has a compromised immune system. Diehl is terrified of being infected by the deadly Coronavirus or transmitting the virus to his family members. He posted a sign in front of the warehouse asking people to wear a mask which many workers don't wear.
Diehl said that once a worker coughed into his hand while standing by Diehl's desk and then started touching things on the desk with the hand. That incident made Diehl angry and then he posted a photo of himself in a mask on Twitter.
Social distancing is the need of the hour
In another case, the owner of a bar in New Orleans, known as Tracey's Original Irish Channel Bar, Jeff Carreras said that he was bashed by the people who gathered outside his bar on Saturday for running the business and overlooking the warning about the danger of crowds during the outbreak of COVID-19.
But many people are following the warnings very strictly as the bars in a popular part of Portland, Oregon, usually busy on Friday and Saturday, are now completely empty and dark after governor Kate Brown banned all dine-in service at food establishments and bars statewide.
In a Facebook post, Alec Bhurke showed his anger about the weekend crowds, saying that most people likely just need that kind of guidance from authorities to recognize the seriousness of the crisis. He mentioned that "People don't understand ... the implications of what even a single day does to the body count (from the virus) at this stage," and added, "But people should know better — and they should do better."
