Covid-19 and the shark in the water

covid-19, coronavirus, shark in water, social distancing, face mask

Dubai - Be smart and even as you stick to shallow waters look out for the ripples that indicate the shark is moving.

By Bikram Vohra

Published: Wed 22 Jul 2020, 2:01 PM

Last updated: Wed 22 Jul 2020, 4:03 PM

Following a concerted decision to take baby steps in opening up the world to ourselves we likened the virus to a shark in the water. It is still there circling a further distance away now, but we still have to exercise caution. Some of us believe that if you cannot see the black, sleek fin of the shark it has gone to other waters and so it is safe to swim and have a blast. Yes, hello, freedom is ours. I kind of like to look at it another way. That the beast is there, just under the surface and waiting to pounce. So I will not venture too far out from the shore and make it easy for the shark to snap me up. Closer to the shore is the equivalent of being safe, keeping distance and wearing the mask. The mask is the cage for the frogmen when they go into the sea so they are safe from a shark attack.

The bravado that we begin to display as time passes and the guard drops and friends put pressure is also very real. If you do not want to see the shark and you think of it as a benign shadow that is your problem. Just remember the coastguard (governments, medical frontliners, experts) has not lifted the warning. When you think that 15 million have been hit and there have been 600,000 deaths and the damn thing mutates in a few days and there could be as many as 14 such changes in the RNA then out there in even the seemingly placid waters are a whole school of sharks.

And even if they nip at you and take out a chunk and you recover like so many millions have done, there is always the scar and the scary fear that you have been hurt.

So be smart and even as you stick to shallow waters look out for the ripples that indicate the shark is moving. Don't get into big crowds. Stay away from strangers. Use your common sense. And above all, don't splash too much in the water. You might be having fun with liberty but the shark could be attracted by the noise.