We've hit 227,743 cases worldwide, guys! According to this handy dandy webpage from Johns Hopkins, we've got over 9,000 in the US alone. See what I mean when I say Death Is Imminent?
But I do think that the death part is less literal dying than society collapsing. Like, for most of us, COVID-19 is like a cough and a fever. So unless you're over 65, it's not that huge of a deal. And yeah, it's important to keep our senior citizens safe, but I still feel like we're overreacting a bit. You wouldn't shut down schools and stores and whatnot for the flu, so why this?
And I guess it does seem a bit insensitive, but I don't know. Like, city-wide quarantines for what's basically a fever? I'm not even allowed to step off my lawn. While I do think we should take precautions, considering that this is a new disease that we don't have treatments or vaccines for. But we've gone a bit insane.
I mean, schools closing? Universities telling students not to come back until after spring break? That's not only like two fewer months of education for college students, but also a huge financial loss for their families. And then there's the nationwide panic. People are hoarding supplies, food, all sorts of things. And as I talked about before, all that means is that there's less for other people. Going to the grocery store isn't going to kill you.
And the financial impact on small businesses could be catastrophic. With people only emerging from their houses to resupply on foods, small businesses aren't getting enough customers. According to CNBC, over half have already reported lesser demand for their products. There are 7 million small businesses in the US. If this trend continues, many of these businesses could be bankrupted. While the government has put in a request for loans, it's at an unprecedented scale, and if the Small Business Administration can't get them out in time, this could devastate the economy. Not only that, but that's also millions of people out of a job, without a source of income. Small businesses are already having trouble paying their employees.
I'd argue that the coronavirus threatens our health less than our society and the order that keeps it running.