Let's take some distance from our selfpity and be grateful for the chance we have to be able to stock food and to isolate ourselves from the virus. Self-confinement is hard, however, there are so many people that wish they could keep their distance from the virus! Be safe. Be home. Don't put any life in danger only because you "need some air". Take a big protected breath, inside.
Big thanks to the heroes of these dreadful times, health workers.
Amid coronavirus alarm, irresponsible politicians - such as the President of my country, Brasil - dare to defy experts warnings that the coronavirus pandemic is dangerous and is expected to get worse before it gets better.
Health experts stress the best way individuals can limit the spread is to strictly observe social distancing - the practice of avoiding close contact with other people. Swee Kheng Khor, a doctor who studies global health policies at the University of Oxford and has extensive experience in disaster relief, made the assessment even as some of the world's political leaders continue to defy his advice while imposing the same restrictions in their countries.
"At the moment, vaccines are at least 12 to 18 months away, and there is no cure for coronavirus. Treatment is only supportive and may require intensive care in a minority of patients. Therefore, without a vaccine or effective treatment, social distancing to prevent coronavirus is the best way to fight it."
As part of the health guidelines on social distancing, mass gatherins - from rallies and concerts to religious events - are to be avoided, and individuals are advised to maintain at least one metre distance from others.
On March 15, outrage erupted in Brasil after President Bolsonaro bolted out of his own reported quarantine to greet a horde of ignorant supporters, shaking hands and taking photos with them in our capital, Brasília. This, despite earlier warnings that he might have been exposed to the coronavirus through his communicationns secretary, Fábio Wajngarten, who had tested positive.
I wouldn't mind him, Bozo, catching the virus, actually. But I do mind him contaminating people. He is careless. Not an ounce of humanity in his body and no brains at all. He claimed to have tested negative for the virus, earlier encouraged supporters to take to the streets against the country's Congress and Supreme Court - ignoring warnings from health authorities (because he, who knows nothing, thinks he knows better) about large gatherings and recommendations on social distancing. Bozo (as we called this man in private, now in public), called the coronavirus threat a "fantasy". He also donwplayed the revelation on Wajngarten's health condition, while his son fiercely pushed back against reports from several Brazilian media that his father himself was infected. (No luck there, it seems.)
Meanwhile, the other "Bozo" from the North, Donald Trump, is equaly oblivious of the danger. Wajngarten accompanied Bozonaro during his meeting with Trump in Florida in the first week of March. At least 14 people from Bozonaro's US entourage later tested positive for the coronavirus, according to reports. But Trump brushed off specualation about the risk of being exposed to the disease, after his meeting with Bozo and other Brasileian officials.
Denial is one of the main carracteristics of brainless people and autocrats, such as Bolsonaro, Boris Johnson and Trump..
Elsewhere, in Iran, cases of infections have reached more than 18,000 while the death toll hit more than 1,284 on Thursday - leaving the country struggling to contain the heavy death toll.
That has not stopped President Hassan Rouhani from presiding over public gatherings, even as he ordered the suspension of Friday prayers at mosques across the country, as well as other large gatherings during the Persian New Year beginning on Friday.
On Wednesday, Rouhani was seen standing next to several officials as he unveiled a commemorative stamp honouring healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus - an event panned on social media. At the event, he was shown with bare hands carrying an oversized seal handed to him by an aide.
Amid reports of several high-ranking officials in his cabinet being infected, Rouhani also conducted his regular cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Several of the officials were seen wearing masks and gloves, unlike Rouhani.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte placed Metro Manial on lockdown effective March 15, which was later expanded to the whole northern island of Luzon covering 57 million people.
But even as Duterte ordered strict compliance on social distancing, his former aide and closest ally, Senator Bong Go went ahead with a relief distribution event in Mindanao, that attracted more than 100 people, many victims of a recent fire that destroyed several homes.
In the photos posted by the state-owned Philippine Information Agency, Go was seen addressing a crowd, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder.
Bottomline, as countries struggle to stave off the growing number of deaths and infections worldwide, Dr Khor said aside from social distancing, countries should also implement adequate tests and aggressive contact tracing - the process of identifying anyone, who may have come in contact with and infected person, as it's being succesfully done in South Korea.
Taken together, the three measures can help achieve the two objectives during an outbreak: the reduction of the total number of cases and the distribution of cases over a longer period of time, also known as flattening the curve, he added.
Dr Khor noted that the coronavirus outbreak is happening at a time of "declining trust" in governments around the world. He suggested that political leaders should give way to scientist and doctors to help solve the crisis. "Decisions during outbreaks are far too important to be left to politicians alone. Scientists and doctors deserve a bigger and permanent seat at the decision-making table, during times of outbreaks."
I couldn't agree more. What about you?
Inside stories
Is total lockdown the cure for coronavirus?
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PALESTINA
Coronavirus in Palestine
Manwhile, the occupation and expropriation of Palestine goes on;
Ever since US President Donald Trump tasked his boy genius, Jared Kushner, with bringing peace to the Middle East, he has been a man on a mission - or perhaps more accurately, a man-boy on a mission impossible.
Whenever he has not been busy reinventing the US government, overseeing its major trade agreements, supervising Trump's presidential campaign, and fighting the coronavirus epidemic, Kushner has focused on resolving the century-old conflict in Palestine.
With little time and little interest in the complicated diplomacy needed to reach a fair solution, he has instead imposed his own preferred solution - or more accurately - that of his mentor, Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin netanyahu, which will certainly deepen the apartheid regime in Palestine.
But Kushner has dismissed the notion of apartheid just as he has dismissed the coronavirus as "more about public psychology" than an actual reality.
No wonder then, the ridiculously dubbed "deal of the century" (DoC) has been losing steam and momentum.
But Kushner remains adamant.
He has been leveraging US power to co-opt Arab leaders or coerce them into supporting his "peace scam" and embracing Israel, despite its occupation of Palestine.
However, with mounting regional crises, falling oil prices, and a persistent Israeli political deadlock, after three elections within a year, can the sedulous Kushner save the deal in a US election year?
Aside from being investigated for benefitting financially from relations with Gulf countries, Kushner has been promising US support to Arab leaders in return for meeting with Netanyahu and supporting the DoC.
Although such quid pro quo practices in the White House have gained notoriety and in fact, Congress impeached Trump over one such incident, they remain a fixture in US Middle East policy.
The Trump administration has reportedly shown readiness to side with Egypt in its dispute with Ethiopia over the Renaissance dam being built on the Nile River in return for President Abdelfattah el-Sisi's support for the DoC.
Kushner has also enticed Sisi promising some $9bn out of the proposed $50bn dedicated to luring, not to say bribing, Egyptian, Jordanian, Palestinian and Lebanese leaders into supporting his scam of a plan.
As Trump's "favourite dictator", Sisi has welcomed the plan and "appreciated" the US effort, while also assuring the Palestinians of Egypt's continued support, just in rhetoric.
This has alienated Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, an evangelical Christian ally, who reluctantly accepted US mediation.
A similar approach was tried on the new rulers of Sudan, who have been desperate to rid themselves of international sanctions, which were imposed on the previous regime of Omar al-Bashir.
To that end, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan's de facto leader and chairman of the Transitional Military Council, was encouraged by Washington and Abu Dhabi to meet Netanyahu and "set the stage for the normalisation of ties" in order to "protect the national security of Sudan".
He did. Over lunch. In Uganda.
A month later, Sudan Central Bank announced that US sanctions on 157 companies had been lifted.
Netanyahu has also reportedly tried to entice Morocco's King Mohammad VI with Israeli and US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, if only they were to meet in support of the DoC.
But nowhere have Kushner and Netanyahu been more eager than in rapprochement with the Gulf region in order to facilitate a new pact against Iran, albeit at the expense of Palestine.
The UAE has consistently facilitated Kushner's moves, while Bahrain hosted the DoC's first economic forum last year. Also Oman's late leader, Sultan Qaboos, hosted Netanyahu in Muscat last year, while Qatar has maintained contacts with Israel, albeit mainly to mediate with Hamas over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
But for Kushner and Netanyahu, the big prize has always been Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu's and Mohammad bin Salman's (MBS) shared hatred for former US President Barack Obama and their deep love for Trump, made it easier for Kushner to court the Saudi Crown Prince on Israel's behalf.
So much so that it was difficult at times to discern who is courting whom.
But it was never going to be easy for Saudi Arabia, the self-declared defender of Islam and champion of the Islamic world, to normalise relations with an expansionist Israel that insists on controlling all of Jerusalem, Al Quds - the sacred one.
That is why Kushner, with the help of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, organised a shambolic international conference on the Middle East in Warsaw early last year, with the main objective of bringing Netanyahu closer to Arab and Gulf officials.
The Saudi regime began to normalise the idea of "normalisation with Israel' within Saudi society, punishing those who opposed it and rewarding those who cheered it.
Riyadh has also opened secret channels to Israel andcracked down on Hamas sympathisers in the kingdom, putting some on trial for "supporting terrorism".
MBS has been in favour of Arab recognition of Israel and pressured the Palestinian leadership into accepting whatever is on offer by the Trump administration; in other words, they must keep up or shut up
These steps have been met with a nod of approval from Kushner & co, but they want more. They want a public meeting between MBS and Netanyahu.
They reckon MBS needs Washington's support more than ever considering his never-ending screw-ups, the falling oil prices, and his eagerness to become king before the end of the year.
And they are trying to convince him that the time is now, considering the possible alternatives - Bernie Sanders detests Saudi leaders, whom he considers "murderous thugs", and Joe Biden wishes to reinstate the nuclear deal with Iran at the expense of the "deal of the century".
As long as Trump is president, expect Kushner's cynical abuse of American power to continue advancing the interests of Netanyahu's "greater Israel", which if history is any guide, will backfire on the US.
It also feeds into anti-Semitism and to despicable notions of a global Jewish conspiracy, complicity and control.
It is no secret that some Middle Eastern, indeed world leaders, assume that improving relations with Israel automatically translates into better relations with Washington, thanks to Israel's huge influence over the US government through its influential lobby.
Netanyahu has never discouraged such thinking. In fact, he encouraged it.
Never has Israeli influence over a US government been so scandalous as it has been under its current lying, corrupt, fraudulent, and undeserving prime minister.
Kushner & co are exploiting the vulnerabilities of Arab autocrats and encouraging their vindictiveness towards their detractors to benefit Netanyahu. They are rewarding bloody and repressive dictatorships for any positive gesture towards Israel.
Make no mistake, these policies will not save Netanyahu nor secure Israel's future. Rather they will foster hatred towards the US and encourage despicable anti-Semitism in the region and beyond, leading to some form of a blowback sooner or later.
BRASIL
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