Four blockbuster words were used in the media: quarantine, Isolation, PPE(Personal Protective Equipment), and Lockdown. Most people use these terms in their daily conversations; nonetheless, they may or may not be familiar with them. These terms de facto belong to the notorious pandemic COVID-19.
People of all ages, including children and octogenarians, are still scared of this widespread pandemic caused by Coronavirus (the disease named COVID-19). People were so frightened that this virus had grown in a geometric manner. The virus spreads every second, and it is updated by various national and international news broadcasters on the internet and social media. It seems natural to get scared because nothing is more important than life. Nonetheless, many victims were recovered and returned to their everyday life. Even affluent countries are in the situation of what-to-do and how-to-solve situations.
The virus is being taken as the biological puzzle and is taken as the transition of a living and nonliving character. The virus can show its original character only if it reaches the living cell and is just a protein crystal outside it. Besides Coronavirus, many other known and unknown viruses such as TMV, HIV, HPV, and Bacteriophage virus are likely to be found in nature. Most of them are harmful, and few are beneficial. In the past, too many pandemics such as Plague, Ebola, and SARS had taken the lives of many people. But at that time, they hadn’t made such a noise worldwide. The primary causes behind this are the growth of communication and IT, international migration, and the craze of the English language, among others.
Because of ICT, the world is now a global village. This has both pros and cons. Nowadays, it is not a great surprise to get information from any corner of the world and even the remote part of Nepal in your palm. Because of this swift information, people are getting more scared, preventive, aware, and careful in this harsh situation.
Our lives have crossed a very critical juncture due to COVID-19. It has given some messages to humans. We should take these messages as the mantra for combating such a pandemic:
- The concept of brotherhood and harmony is regardless of nation, religion, caste, economic condition, and other factors. We should understand that this is just our political division of geography, not the division of humanity.
- We should maintain sanitation and cleanliness always.
- Social distancing, and we should limit unnecessary strolling.
Therefore, we should be accustomed to these mantras before another pandemic occurs (let’s hope that will never happen!).
The writer holds an M.Sc. degree in Physics and is currently teaching Physics in Colleges, Nepal.