"It's just a bad flu, I think everyone's overreacting."
I've heard this same line being exchanged for several weeks now, in the workplace and on the streets. For a brief time, I even believed it.
Just over a hundred years ago, Spanish Flu killed up to 100 million people in 1918. A lot has happened in a hundred years. Our knowledge of disease and hygiene has made leaps and bounds. Living in 1918 was like living on a different planet, when radio and electric lights were the most sophisticated things in most peoples' homes. Our current world of smartphones and computers would be inconceivable to the people of 1918.
Yet, there is one thing that hasn't changed. We still contend with diseases. Spanish Flu may have disappeared as suddenly as it appeared, we may think we've seen the last of TB, Polio and Diptheria, but we've only held them in check with vaccines and by the fact that more of us are better fed and looked after than those that came before us. They still lurk in the background, as are many yet to be discovered diseases.
Covid 19 proves that point, that it's a never ending struggle. We can treat disease far more effectively than ever, and are more knowledgeable about hygiene. The greatest danger is underestimating the threat.
Until recently, the UK government seemed content not to do anything. There wasn't any effort or impetus to put laws in place to restrict gatherings (concerts, football matches etc) or impose restrictions on travel and work. The situation in China, South Korea and Italy is proof that harsh measures are needed in order to save lives. Don't be so ready to believe that it'll be business as usual. I'm not convinced that it's safe to keep schools open and go to work as normal. Cities across China are like ghost towns and hospitals are full to the brim. If that seems like a distant problem, Italy provides an example closer to home. There is no reason to believe the UK will be spared.
I strongly urge everyone to take this seriously. You may have been planning for ages to attend your favourite music festival, or to see your favourite football team play, but these are exactly the sort of things that will undermine our ability to fight this pandemic. Covid 19 might not be as lethal as Spanish Flu, but people will still die.
I'm hopeful we can weather the worst of it, but it will require sacrifice from everyone.
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