We will rebuild our shattered world soon

No catastrophic event in our past 100-year history can be compared to the Covid-19 virus

By Farouk Araie, Johannesburg

Published: Fri 27 Mar 2020, 7:24 PM

Last updated: Fri 27 Mar 2020, 9:28 PM

In our lifetime we witnessed the second world war, the advent and demise of the cold war, the first man to land on the moon, abolition of apartheid, the release of Nelson Mandela, and many other earth shattering events. None of these spectacular events captured the imagination of the world as did Covid-19. A tiny virus droplet between 1-5 micrometres in size, about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair, has brought our advanced civilisation to a complete halt.

About 10,000 commercial planes carrying 1.3 million people ever day have been forced to reconsider flight and travel plans. Over 3,000 planes remained grounded and parked off as over 75,000 staff associated with travel are retrenched. The global economy has crashed as thousands of factories have ceased production. Fifty three international airlines are facing bankruptcy as aviation grinds to a halt. The global economy has lost $3 trillion as international trade and commerce has snapped supply chains and disrupted our world.

No catastrophic event in our past 100-year history can be compared to the Covid-19 virus. It will take a year to contain the virus, which will continue to reign havoc on every avenue of human life. The only event more deadly than the virus is a total nuclear war. We are in a deadly race against time, but with courage and fortitude we will emerge victorious and rebuild our shattered world.