We have never before faced a pandemic of this scale since the 1918 flu pandemic which infected over half a billion people and killed more than 20 million. Covid-19, one of the coronaviruses, (others include MERS and SARS), is rapidly shutting down everything. Not only it is lethal, especially for elderly, but it also has a huge impact on our economy.
Places that attract large crowd must be closed in order to deal with Covid-19, from restaurants and shopping malls, to department stores, sport stadiums, factories and mass transportation, and even Online Live Casinos. According to one of the official SBOBET agents in Indonesia, 3DBet, sportsbooks and live casinos are not able to re-open until the pandemic is over. Production lines, distribution channels, transportation and services companies must be closed to stop the spread of this pandemic.
Why is COVID-19 so hard to stop?
The short answer is, not all people who are infected are showing severe symptoms immediately, it is taking several days. That makes it hard to detect all who are sick due to COVID-19 and contain the virus from spreading. Even though it is not airborne, COVID-19 spreads through small droplets produced by breathing, talking, coughing and sneezing. There is no way to know if our surroundings are infected.
A 14 day quarantine is suggested for people who feel they may be infected, but this is hard to follow. The risk of financial instability, loss of recreational opportunities, as well as desire to attend religious services or cultural events, make it more difficult to obey. Unfortunately it only takes one infected person to spread it all over again as long as the we do not have a cure.
Worldwide Status
Covid-19 was identified in December 2019, but there was very little information known about the disease at that time. Wuhan, China saw the first case and had one of the largest outbreaks of the pandemic. The large population and mass mobility contributed to the spread of this contagious disease and helped it become a global pandemic.
The list of top 10 countries with highest confirmed cases no longer includes China, thanks to their citizen discipline and their government’s strict regulation. Quarantine efforts, wearing masks and physical / social distancing have helped.
Source : update 7 May 2020, Wikipedia
Taiwan was one of the first countries facing the pandemic due to its close proximity to China and the abundance of travel between both countries. Even so, for a population of 23.6 million, Taiwan only reports having 438 cases with 6 deaths. Taiwan has been praised for their initiative in dealing with this pandemic. As early as 31 December 2019, Taiwan expressed concern to WHO that Covid-19 had the potential for human to human transmission. Traumatized by their SARS ( Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ) experience in 2003, Taiwan took vigorous measures for screening, testing, contact tracing, and enforcing quarantines and it helped stopped the spread dramatically..
The Impact
The global quarantine and lockdown has caused so many companies to change their business practices and lay off their workforce. This chain reaction stunted our ability to pay debts and froze the economy. NASDAQ, Dow Jones and S&P 500 are at all time lows and inflation is rampant.
Sport matches like football, basketball, as well as events with large gatherings are being postponed with possibility of being cancelled indefinitely. UEFA EURO 2020 was postponed from 12 June – 12 July 2020 to 11 June – 11 July 2021. The 2020 Summer Olympics from 24 July – 9 August 2020 is now 23 July – 8 August 2021. The NCAA ( National College Athletic Association ) also announced on 12 March 2020 that all remaining championship events will be canceled. This is their first cancelation in their 81 year history.
This is a time of crisis but also the time for new opportunities. Bracing for the pandemic and staying vigilant is important in any problem that we face.
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