Today’s news shouldn’t come as too much of a shock given the developments that have occurred within the last couple of weeks.
According to Politico, the World Health Organization has officially labeled the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic. This comes after over 100,000 cases of the disease have been confirmed across the world. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the organization has been concerned about the “alarming levels of spread,” combined with the “alarming levels of inaction,” in fighting and preventing the spread of the disease. WHO was hesitant to label the disease a pandemic. Ghebreyesus explained that the term could spark unnecessary panic and give the impression that the disease is beyond control.
Before the pandemic was declared, drastic measures have been taken across the country. New York established a one-mile containment zone in a county where the majority of cases had been found in the state. Numerous universities have canceled in-person classes and have ordered campuses to be evacuated. This year’s Coachella was postponed to October and the Austin-based SXSW festival was outright canceled. While the disease has shown signs of slowing down in China, where it initially originated, more and more cases have been popping up in countries around the world. In the U.S alone cases have topped 1,000.
Senior writer for The Root Michael Harriot published a nifty guide on navigating the outbreak. Personally, I’m just happy all this time spent indoors is going to coincide with the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I already wasn’t planning on having a life after March 20, now I just have a more responsible excuse.