An Open Letter to You Regarding Your Response to Covid-19 Crisis

Dear You

I know that things have been tough for you for quite some time, and recently there has been a further deterioration in the situation.

You, along with the rest of the world heard back in January, about this special corona virus which was causing havoc in Wuhan, China. It seemed that this virus was one which had not previously been encountered, and there was no cure for it, or a vaccine to protect people from it. At the time we all felt sympathy for the Chinese people who had been unfortunate enough to have caught the virus, but you and I are a long way away from Wuhan, and the virus was not at the time a personal concern for us.

Change can occur incredibly quickly. Covid-19, which is the name that has been given to this virus, is of concern to both you and I. Indeed, it is an increasing concern to the population of the entire world.

Do you remember the Ebola virus outbreak back in 2014? It was a particularly nasty virus. Although it was first discovered in 1976, there had been no significant outbreaks until 2014. The virus did reach the United States shores, but it was mainly confined to the west African countries of Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Mali. The World Health Organisation declared that as of January 2016 there had been no new cases of the virus.

With Ebola over a two year period there were 11,315 deaths and 28,637 reported cases.

Covid-19 is a global pandemic, over a three month period there has been 74,000 deaths and 1.3 million reported cases. And, these figures are sure to rise substantially in the months ahead.

We all need to take care. I have placed some health messages on photographs I have taken, and I hope you do not mind me posting them at strategic places throughout this letter. I know that you do not need to be told to follow these messages to stay healthy, but reminders are always useful.

Fortunately world leaders have taken this pandemic seriously and are issuing regular updates based on scientific evidence. There is unfortunately one exception, a pathological liar who seems to believe he knows better than those who have spent a lifetime studying infectious diseases. At the time of writing he is promoting an unproven product, hydroxychloroquine. A leading biologist has claimed it as a quack cure, and it is scary that Trump is pushing it. It will have a mild affect, if any at all, and can result in adverse consequences, life threatening for those on other medications.

New Zealand is a relatively small country, but I have been particularly impressed with their Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, and her handling of this crisis. Ardern wasted no time in ordering a complete lock-down across New Zealand, even although at the time of writing their death toll from Covid-19 was only one. She is young, a female, and is showing what leadership looks like in a crisis. Ardern has even reassured New Zealand children that the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are both ‘essential workers’.

Did you watch and listen to the address to the nation given by the Queen of England?

As a staunch republican, I view the monarchy as an anachronism. But, I was moved by the cool, calm, sensible and apolitical advice given by this ninety-three year old, whose eldest son and heir to the throne is currently in isolation with Covid-19. Another female world leader demonstrating what leadership in a crisis is all about.

Yes, you and I are following the advice given by medical experts and are staying at home and regularly washing our hands. But what else are you doing to fill in your time now that most of the world in in lock-down?

It is very easy to perch yourself in front of the TV for hours on end. Doing so would not be recommended for optimal health outcomes. I have made it a personal rule that the TV is not turned on each day until at least six in the evenings. I love to read, but all libraries in my part of the world, and probably most other places, are closed. Kindle is downloaded onto my iPad and Amazon have an incredible range of e-books which can be quickly downloaded, and most are inexpensive. If you prefer to hold a hard copy in your hands, they can be purchased through Amazon and delivered to your home address without there being any actual people-to-people contact.

People world-wide are spending more time on their computers and laptops. And, I am sure that you are seeing many postings on social media sites on various conspiracy theories. Everything from claims that this whole Covid-19 thing is a hoax to a theory that the virus was developed by an American who sold it to the Chinese. Believe in science, not claims from these ratbags.

People are however keeping their sense of humour. An Aussie has set up a Facebook group called Bin isolation outing. As is explained on the site, “so basically the bin goes out more than us, so let’s dress up for the occasion”. Some of the videos and photos are really funny and are well worth taking a look at if you would like to have a laugh. Here is the link.

Apart from my bin outings, the only times I have been out of my house in the last two weeks is to visit my daughter, who lives about ten minutes away, once a week. My son-in-law is now doing my grocery shopping for me and as well as my avoiding the supermarkets, I get to interact with my daughter and grand-daughters, from a few metres away from each other, over the front fence. I do miss the personal hugs and holding, but none of us can afford to take any unnecessary risks.

I know you are finding the restrictions, and inability to access many businesses which are considered non-essential stressful . . . , we all are. Things are likely to remain difficult for quite some time yet. But eventually, things will get better.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to our health workers, scientists working long hours to develop a vaccine for this virus, transportation personnel, farmers and others keeping us going through these difficult times.

But, congratulations also to you. You have been following advice to help contain this virus. You also are one of our everyday heroes.

My sincere thanks for playing your part.

Respectfully yourself

Ian McKenzie