When Can We Stop Talking About COVID-19 Please?
By: Robert W. Locke
Tags: Covid 19, Tv Talk Shows, Italy, Politics, Health

Health

When Can We Stop Talking About COVID-19 Please?

Politicians and experts are talking too much

Photo by Cade Renfroe on Unsplash

I have reached breaking point. Every time I turn on the TV, there is a talk show and they are talking about you know what. That virus thing. I will not even mention it! There will be variations on what virologists, epidemiologists, immunologists, and politicians think now. As opposed to yesterday.

How many talk shows? Here in Italy, where I live there are 7 a day while in Germany they only have about 6 every week! In addition, every news bulletin gives extensive and exhausting coverage of the topic as well.

Why not have one and only one bulletin about COVID-19 every day, such as the one that WHO issues? This would leave us time to breathe and also talk about other topics such as our life.

There will be warnings about how useless it is to comment on the data. The WHO weighs in today and says that one person in Europe dies of COVID-19 every 17 seconds. Daily data is not a real indicator of when and if the peak will happen. After all, we will have to wait another two weeks. My question is then why are we asking them now?

This is the second wave. Then more questions and very carefully worded disclaimers about the third wave. We do not know when or if it will even happen. It does depend on how each one of us behaves. Maybe, we need more data!

Then the parameters have driven everyone mad here in Italy. The wise men have decided that there are 21 of them. The regional governments are wringing their hands and say that 5 is more than enough. There will be a statement made, discussion in Parliament, and maybe yet another government decree. What is it today?

We need simple and practical guidelines- not endless discussions that make us switch off anyway. This is why I think there is far too much of it.

Then there is Christmas. One virologist, Ilaria Capua, said that Santa Claus should be wearing a mask but this was probably to reassure children and also stress that everyone has a role to play in being responsible. The Italian Prime Minister has said that this Christmas will be a soft one. Un Natale soft. Light Christmas. There are to be no kisses and hugging. Try telling Italians that!

We think of precious past Christmases when they were the full-on ones or the scrumptious ones. It just gets more and more ridiculous. In the UK, police have even said that they will invade people’s homes and check if they are abiding by the rules. How many people can you hide under that dining table, Mum? I have written a satirical piece here which will make you laugh.

Laugh? Yes, that is all I can do now. Oh yes, the message from all that chatting, discussing, arguing, blustering, pandering and pleading is the following:-

Wear a mask, keep your distance and wash your hands and we will all be fine.

Oh yes, a vaccine is arriving and that is much better than any gift you might get from Santa Claus. Unless you are a negationist and anti-vaxxer of course. That discussion will be the next talk-show pandemic and I will end up in a psychiatric unit.

We can still wish each other a Happy Christmas, I hope! By phone or on WhatsApp of course. Start getting your memes ready!

Other fun stuff I have written is here:-