What’s Wrong With Corona
As from the beginning of this year, the world was shocked by a disease that suddenly struck almost the entire population in Wuhan City, China. The disease originated from a virus called 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). This virus has suddenly become a terror for all citizens of the world, especially after taking hundreds of lives in just two weeks. The most worrying thing is that this virus continues to search for prey while the antidote has not been found. Reporting from Assian Nikkei Review the news about the emergence of the virus had made the Chinese people uneasy because when the emergence of the news coincided with the homecoming season in order to commemorate the Chinese New Year.
This virus is known to first appear in animal and seafood markets in Wuhan City. At the animal market also sells a variety of wild animals for consumption. Researchers can almost be certain if the virus originated from several wild animals sold in the market. The people who were first exposed to the virus are believed to be traders who sell various wild animals. So the transmission of the virus comes from animals to animals, then from animals to humans.
The Indonesian Ministry of Health has also stated that, the corona virus that has spread to humans can cause respiratory disturbances. Symptoms can be like the common cold, such as dry cough, fever, and even shortness of breath. But in this case, the patient will experience a fever that is rather high compared to the common cold, which can make the body temperature rise above 38 degrees Celsius. If no careful examination is performed, it will be difficult for medical personnel to distinguish whether the patient has a common cold or has been exposed to the corona virus.
Because the common symptoms in people with this virus are the same as the symptoms of the common cold. Reporting from IDN Times, there are five ways of transmitting the corona virus from human to human. First, from the liquid: water can carry the virus from the patient to another person who is at a distance of one meter. Water in the form of liquid that comes out when sneezing, coughing, or talking. Second, transmission from the air: the corona virus can spread remotely through the air.
This method is the same as the way the flu virus, SARS, variola, and norovirus is transmitted from one person to another. Third, transmission from animals: people who sell, process, and distribute wild animals can get the virus through contact with these animals. Fifth, close contact with patients: family, people who live in the same house, medical personnel, or people who have been close to the patient, has a great potential of contracting the virus. The shortest corona virus incubation period lasts for two to three days, while the longest can be up to 10 to 12 days.
This is the time span required for the corona to infect and display early symptoms. During this time corona can still be transmitted to other people, so it is difficult to detect it. According to research, the corona virus is sensitive to air temperatures of at least 56 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. It can also be deactivated with ether, 75 percent alcohol, chlorine-containing disinfectant, peroxyetetic acid and chloroform. At the beginning of its appearance which made a scene, this virus has claimed four people in 2 days the Chinese government closed Wuhan City.
And it continues to grow until China is established as the country with the largest corona virus during the period between January to March 2020. At that time the Chinese Government totally closed or made a lockdown on all activities in the country. From the rapid number of infected Chinese people, triggering several countries to withdraw their citizens, including Indonesia. Noted, Indonesia has repatriated 238 Indonesians from Hubei Province and the Indonesian citizens were immediately quarantined and underwent two weeks of observation in Natuna, Riau Islands.
Corona Travel Overseas
After a while this virus dwells in the area of origin and began eating away at the lives of its citizens, now is the time for this virus to explore other parts of the world. Reporting from CNN, recorded on January 13, 2020 The Government of Thailand reported cases of infection caused by the corona virus. The first case that was infected came from someone who had just arrived from Wuhan City. Followed on January 16, 2020, the Japanese government announced that one of its citizens had been infected with the corona virus, one of the residents was male and had just traveled from Wuhan City.
This virus has been recorded very quickly spread through humans who were previously in China returned to their respective countries. They are the carriers of the virus. During the period from the beginning to the end of January, several countries have begun to mount horses to prevent the virus from entering the country. However, the spread of these humans is very difficult to stem. The movement of people coming out of China is so massive that it is very difficult to carry out a thorough check.
Until finally on 30 January 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) determined that the outbreak became the International Health Emergency of International Concern. WHO said, the corona virus has spread to 18 countries. According to WHO the data of this spread has increased to previously only 15 countries. When both observing the pattern of the spread of this virus which originally originated in China, then can spread to several countries, a symmetrical line will be found. A line with the words ‘human’. This line drags the whole series of events that originally laid eggs in Wuhan and can then breed to Bangkok, Tokyo, Manila and even to Geneva, Switzerland where WHO lives.
In this context, there is no intention to describe humanity, because if that happens, it would be the same as rejecting the natural law which says that humans are social creatures. Especially if you look at the status of China which in recent years has become one of the mecca of the world economy. Many investors are willing to immerse the numbers as deep as the South China Sea. And there are also many Chinese entrepreneurs who copy Marcopolo’s style of exploring the world in order to develop their economic sectors.
It will trigger the movement of humans that are not small and take place continuously. Either leaving or heading for China. Not to mention the movement of people from the education sector. Not a few also some young people in several countries choose to study in this pioneering Mao Zedong country. It is true that when the virus began to emerge in Wuhan, several countries had attracted students to return to their home regions. However, it is possible for the students to be infected but when they arrive in their country they have not shown symptoms as mentioned above.
Those mentioned earlier could have become a very large bag of luggage, to carry a ‘gift’ for their country. Once again, this paper does not aim at all to deny or merely blame us as humans. Because after all, like the story of a virus contained in a zombie book or movie will not stay in one place. It will spread like humans are spread all over the world. If you may borrow a few words from Albert Camus that ‘indeed man is not at all guilty, because he did not start history. But it is also not without error, because it continues history ‘.
Greets Indonesia on Behalf of Corona
The corona virus adventure can be said to have a fairly short journey and spread very quickly. As of December 2019 until this article was typed, he still continued his expansion in touching countries in almost all parts of the world. Imagine, a sudden and invisible form involved around human activity. Even the country that is said to be a world superpower, the United States, has not escaped this virus attack. Certainly, America as the economic center of capital in the world will be attacked by a pandemic. This superpower has been predicted by some experts that most of its citizens cannot escape the corona attack, due to the movements in this country that look very massive. If the world powers are attacked by this virus, then of course other countries that are supporting countries of the superpowers will also be affected, especially since the country’s distance from China is not too far away.
In the end the virus greeted Indonesia on behalf of Corona, after some time before, the government through the Minister of Health Mr. Terawan Agus Putranto stated that this virus could not enter and survive in Indonesia, due to several factors, one of which was that Indonesia had quite hot temperatures. This was also announced by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Joko Widodo on March 02, 2020 at the Presidential Palace. The President announced on that day that Indonesia had become one of the positive states of the corona. The first person exposed was a 64-year-old mother and her 31-year-old daughter. both were suspected of contracting due to contact with one of the Japanese citizens who were visiting Indonesia.
The Japanese citizen was detected by Corona after leaving Indonesia and visiting Malaysia. In the sense that the Japanese were found to have corona after being examined in Malaysia. The Minister of Health also mentioned that the two Indonesian citizens residing in the Depok area and had been treated at Sulianti Saroso Hospital, North Jakarta. As of this writing, both patients have been declared cured, and within one month of the data released by the Ministry of Health, the number of corona-positive people has touched 10,843 cases, 831 of them died, 1,665 cases have been recovered, and 8,347 remaining still under treatment. The numbers are increasing so rapidly and there is no sign of decline.
Regarding Quarantine and Hope
Let us conclude our discussion of these horrific casualty figures. Because, I’m sure when you read this paragraph, you already feel bored seeing the numbers that are scattered in all types of media. Maybe some of you are also not passionate about listening to news that only contains about fear. The thing to remember is that when we experience conditions like this, besides we all must maintain our health, we must also maintain our sanity.
Since the government gave Indonesia a positive corona verdict, at that time the government began to compile several health protocols that we must comply with. Some of us may be familiar with the term lockdown, civil emergency, quarantine, social distancing, pshycal distancing, or the last to emerge, namely Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB). As a whole the terms are conical to one single meaning, silent. Limit our activities to prevent the spread of corona virus.
Appeals for appeals have also been launched by the government. Starting from maintaining cleanliness, diligently washing hands, to wear a mask if forced to do activities outside. Some of the health protocols also cannot be said clean of problems. If we look at the meaning of some of these protocols, they will only be rooted in the goal of maintaining health. Even though we both know, the most important source of health in developing countries is money.
This health protocol is not immune to pros and cons. I termed that ‘civil servants are shaking, and workers will be homeless’ to the policy or appeal of the government earlier. Recognized or not is in fact like that. The discovery of several cases of Termination of Employment which these days soared, became evidence of justification for the term. Even some of the capital workers who had been laid off decided to return home, because in the capital there was nothing else that could make their kitchen sway.
Apart from the polemic and social jealousy that occurs in society, the quarantine period is also our place to test ourselves. We who have tended to be inclined towards extroversion will be tested for their ability to be silent for a few moments. How to keep the brain and creativity spinning with limited social time.
There is also a sudden online merchant, by helping sell products from MSMEs with a fairly idealistic reason that is helping the country’s economy being plagued by plague. Some still have to complete the report even though the Work From Home system has been established. Students are also frantically arranging finance for internet quota purchases during online lectures. Some even had to postpone marriage because the Ministry of Religion had closed marriage registrations until the end of May.
A quarantine like this will keep a unique story in each of us. And during this uncertain uncertainty, we are holding a list of our desires and hopes. Those who are establishing Long Distance Relationship certainly have the ideal to meet their lover quickly. For those who like to climb the mountain may have prepared a target height that will be achieved. For those who are accustomed to discussing around coffee shop tables, they definitely want to taste the bitterness of the story that is integrated into the coffee grounds.
Everyone seems to have prepared provisions to realize their hopes after the pandemic. The question mark is ‘going out’ like what we will later? Are we going to be a different human than usual, or remain the original figure. Whatever it is, expectations that have been there are still nurtured and sown. Those hopes will be a little medicine for our fears. After this pandemic ends, let’s realize that hope together without forgetting love and gratitude to the universe.
I myself have a small hope. The hope of a servant of the universe who never does big. When you will finish reading this article, we are all still as healthy as ever, and the word ‘corona’ that we have been afraid of, ah … hopefully we have forgotten it.
