By Abdellatif Sharaa

COVID-19 declared war against humanity, I started to think what's next?! I spoke to some friends about this epidemic - some of whom are highly experienced doctors - who assured each other that as China is taking action, this virus will dry out and go to rest as quickly as it appeared. To tell the truth, I personally was pessimistic and thought otherwise, because China is a country that is economically well-established, and many people from all over the world are doing business there. They became panicked, which made me believe that an exodus will take place, and some people actually left, before things got clear.

Nothing was done elsewhere about quarantining and how contagious this disease was and how fast it spread, and this is where the virus' attack became a pandemic. We can take an example in South Korea, where a woman who took things very lightly caused the infection of around 8,000 people. According to reports, she went to a basketball game, attended a mass in church and joined a party.

Another example was in Jordan, where a wedding party contributed to spreading the coronavirus in a city that is now under total lockdown, where even those with permits can no longer leave. Although the initial cases in Jordan were from Canada and Spain, it is really a global crisis. We must understand that the danger is real and not exaggerated, as I still see a good number of people taking this matter very lightly, with great regret.

I passed by a Kuwait Flour Mills Company outlet where I saw something really very scary - a line of people at least 150 yards long, with people standing next to each other so close they almost touched, despite being advised by healthcare professionals to keep a distance between one another. I could not keep silent and I told some of them this is wrong and they must maintain a distance, but almost all said "we are not in danger; we are fine and will not get sick!" I told myself "Oh my God, can this be true? Are there people still in denial? Are there people still ignorant?" Of course I drove away as fast as I could.

When authorities stepped in and took action to gain some control over the situation, a small number of people liked it, but many did not, which is an "attitude" that should be adjusted. The teams that are fighting COVID-19 are now taking matters into their hands and measures are becoming tougher, so people come to their senses and become compliant. Please, take advice, and follow instructions. May God bless us all.