No good news on the horizon yet, it seems. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic is not slowing down either in Europe or in the U.S. In China and South Korea, the outbreak seems to have been brought under control, but the rest of the world continues to struggle with the spread of COVID-19, with cases increasing every day.
In Turkey, we already have over 2,000 infected, and with the increasing availability of tests, the numbers are likely to keep increasing.
Thus, humanity is faced with a global problem. The coronavirus is threatening everyone on the planet. Without cooperation on an international scale, a solution looks unlikely.
To this end, a virtual G-20 summit was held Thursday to discuss the pandemic via videoconference call. The summit lasted two hours and 20 minutes and focused on ways to overcome the pandemic. The participants eventually arrived at a statement pledging to tackle the medical, social and economic fallout of the pandemic. They also said, "To safeguard the future, we commit to strengthening national, regional and global capacities to respond to potential outbreaks by substantially increasing our spending on epidemic preparedness."
The world is on alert. The virus has already killed over 22,000, infected half a million and spread to more than 170 countries. Unfortunately, globalism is what helped the virus spread so quickly.
Since the pandemic has reached every corner of the globe, the world has responded by returning to the pre-global era. No flights, no freedom of movement, and martial law is even in place in many locations.
It is a sad fact that the struggle against the coronavirus involves no other option but closing down everything and stopping people going about their lives.
This health crisis not only has economic and social implications but rocks the very core of the philosophy which made the world a global village and will make everything much more complicated.
We will see an increase in isolationism and the weakening of international bodies such as the U.N. and political unions like the EU. Liberalism, liberal values and open-door policies will lose strength. Likewise, security will dominate freedom for the foreseeable future.
Fear and paranoia will be the driving force and prop up right-wing politicians in Europe and the U.S. to gain even more power.
It is very sad to witness these possibilities emerge. The pandemic has awakened many deeply layered insecurities that lie in the consciousness of humanity. They will not fade away when we overcome the pandemic.
It is necessary to isolate ourselves in order to control the virus, but the aftermath of COVID-19 will not be easy.
So, it is tremendously important to stay home wherever we are and follow the rules, as the more people that isolate themselves the quicker the outbreak will come under control, mitigating the damage left in its wake.
It is a very hard time for every single human being on earth to participate in the response, but for each and every one of us, it is a duty that must be fulfilled.