Now, I’m sure we have all heard of the new disease going around called the coronavirus and if you haven’t, I am just going to assume that you live under a rock. It has been all over the news in every country and has been everyone’s number one topic of conversation. But how much of it is actually true?
This virus has spread all over the world in a matter of a few months. Even here, in England, it has become a large issue. Already, two schools have been shut down due to students being tested for it. You can just imagine how much of their education is being lost. All the students are being affected immensely but especially GCSE and A-level students as they may not be able to learn everything they need in time as their exams are just around the corner. The spread of the virus isn’t even being limited after closing these schools as both students and teachers are still moving around the city despite the slight chance of them having contracted the virus so this technique is almost 100% useless and is not helping anyone.
With the increased spread of the virus, many people are turning to some other strange techniques, which they have learned from social media to prevent them from contracting the disease. One way is that some people believe that drinking sesame oil and eating garlic can kill the coronavirus and this is completely false. This only assists in boosting the sesame oil and garlic industries. Others believe that the virus can be spread through pets which is also incorrect, however this is being led to many pets being abandoned or fewer being bought. And finally, some even believe that it can be spread just from a post set from China. There is absolutely no logic behind this, but people believe what they want to and right now they just want to find a way to prevent them from getting the virus.
Despite this, there are some actual techniques which people should be doing to prevent the disease. One of these is to wash your hands thoroughly and often. This may sound obvious but you would be surprised at how many people are careless with their hygiene. Second, when coughing or sneezing, you should do so into a tissue or crook of your elbow which limits spread of germs. And finally, if you are sick just stay at home and help yourself and others by doing so.
As you can see, there are a few effective methods to prevent yourself from contracting the coronavirus so there is no need to use ones you pick up from just anywhere. If we want this to outbreak to come to an end, we must use these techniques on a regular basis and hope that this virus will die out soon enough or at least before the holidays.
-Aishi Srivastava, HBS
