The Ethics of Coronavirus
By: John Gladwell
Tags: Ethics, Morality, Pandemic, Corona, Coronavirus

It is common for people to become panicked during crises and lose sight of the bigger picture. This results in a loss of good judgment, as well as an apparent inability to “zoom out” and consider their values. In this article, you will get a chance to step back and consider the moral and philosophical questions that face us in the age of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic.

The first question we must ask ourselves is: what is the nature of the threat facing us? The coronavirus is a new infectious disease, which causes respiratory illness, resulting in flu-like symptoms, such as cough and fever. Its fatality rate is currently estimated at around 2%, making it roughly 20 times more fatal than the flu. The fatality rate increases in people who are either elderly or have pre-existing conditions. According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control, the fatality rate for persons above the age of 80 is over 14%. These numbers, of course, are not certain yet, but are estimates made by experts in the field.

The disease is very infectious with an R0, reproduction number, of approximately 2–3. This means that each individual with the virus will infect 2–3 other people on average. As a result, the number of cases is growing exponentially.

Since this virus leads to the death of a certain amount of its carriers, we have entered the area of morality. We are literally carrying the lives of other people, especially elderly and vulnerable ones, in our hands. Through our actions, we collectively have the capacity to potentially save millions of lives, or bring about millions of deaths. In other words, we can either distinguish ourselves as good and virtuous people or selfish and evil ones.

The question then becomes: which actions are good for us to take and which are bad? Surely those actions which alleviate the spread of the virus are morally good and those which aid it are bad. As we know that there do exist good and bad ways to conduct oneself in relation to the virus, it is incumbent upon us to discover these to the best of our ability, or else we would be committing willful ignorance. Therefore, educating oneself on the most effective preventative practices is also ethically right and the lack of such education is wrong. As a corollary to this, it is immoral to spread ideas about the Coronavirus which are ill-informed, as they may compel another person to act in a suboptimal manner and so endanger the health of other community members.

I will consider the best preventative measures that I have discovered in my researches. Surely, this will not be a complete list, and I beg my readers to comment and further suggestions that they have.

Maximal social distancing

This is the most important step one can take in order to protect both their own health and that of our community. If you live in an area in which the virus is currently spreading, the ideal state is to avoid all contact with the outside world. This, however, is not always feasible. For example, one may have a job that is absolutely vital for society. In such cases, one must leave their home for this reason. In all cases, the question to ask oneself is: is the activity I wish to perform worth the risk posed to other people’s health and/or lives? This is not always a comfortable question to ask oneself, but surely one which the good and decent person must ask himself. If the answer is “no,” then one is ethically obliged not to perform the activity. If the answer is “yes,” which in some cases it will be, then proceed to the other guidelines, which will center largely around proper hygiene. I need hardly point out that it would be inconsistent with any decent system of morality to engage in unnecessary public activities, such as cruises or other entertainment. Doing so would be to say “this transitory pleasure of mine is more important than the health of my community,” which of course is an indefensible moral position. It is also essential to understand that if one spreads the virus to anyone, his reach does not end there. The newly infected person may go on to infect two others, who each infect another two. You do not need a class in mathematical modeling to understand that this will add up, hence inflicting great harm on other people.

2. Frequent hand washing/sanitizing

Particularly if you are engaging in a public activity, frequent hand washing is highly recommended. If you can get your hands on some hand sanitizer, this can also be very useful for on the go. In order to kill the germs adequately, be sure to wash your hands for at least twenty seconds with soap. One should wash their hands after touching surfaces that are communally used, such as door handles, desks, or other people’s hands. Of course, handshaking is not a recommended practice. In addition, one ought to also wash their hands before handling food items or touching their face, which leads me to my next point…

3. Don’t touch your face

Experts have identified facial touching as a key factor in the transmission of this virus. Studies have shown that people touch their faces about 16 times per hour, on average. I appreciate of course that this is a difficult habit to break. I would recommend catching yourself every time that you notice your hand drifting up to scratch the old nose. Instead, scratch it with the inside of your T-shirt. After a while, you will likely break the habit, which will be good for your health in general.

4. Cough and sneeze down your shirt

A lot of people like to promote the idea of coughing into the crook of your elbow or into a tissue. It is clear, however, that coughing or sneezing down the neck of one’s shirt is greatly superior. It collects all the droplets (which are the main way the virus spreads), instead of allowing them to spray into the air. In fact, studies have shown that sneezes travel at a speed of 100 mph and project germs up to 10 feet away. For the crook of the elbow strategy, it is difficulty to cough completely into this space as it is not enclosed. Therefore, much of the cough/sneeze will actually end up in the open air. Furthermore, the sneezer has gotten germs all over the exterior of their clothing, which is obviously a greater risk for spreading it than the inside of your shirt. With regard to the tissue tactic, this holds greater promise for containing the droplets but is undermined by the fact that it dirties one's hands. Therefore, unless you can wash your hands immediately afterward, you are much better off coughing/sneezing down the neck of your shirt.

5. Stay home if you are sick

If you are well, you may still engage in activities that are essential, such as working in a hospital. If you have any of the symptoms of the Coronavirus, however, it is clear that it would be negligent in the extreme to expose other people. Surely any employer would much rather you did not come to work, both for his/her sake and that of their employees. Therefore it is ethical to stay home when sick and immoral to engage in public activities.

I hope you have benefitted from this examination of the moral responsibilities we have in the time of Covid 19. I’m sure it will help you to live a more virtuous and therefore prosperous life. Take solace in this; It is apparently the one area of life in which one can be morally virtuous just by sitting at home and playing video games. Some governments have issued guidelines and regulations, but they will not be able to control your behavior. It is ultimately your responsibility to act in an ethical and courageous manner in this troubled time.