Coronavirus and Politics Prt 1

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), is a condition that affects the respiratory system causing an individual to gasp for breath, leaving behind damaged lungs. SARS 1, was reported in the mid-2000s in the Asian region causing fear and panic. However, for the larger part of the world, the closest they came to the scourge was via the news as they tried to decipher what it was, while others gave it a cold shoulder. 

A good number of individuals never felt the real impact of SARS 1, though it caused its fair share of damage in the epicenter and its environs. SARS 2, brought about vivid memories of its predecessor because of the similar nature of its occurrence. Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid 19), dubbed SARS 2, is like no other; how it elicited split opinions about its nature, how it started, and how it would be controlled, still is perturbing. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of coronavirus was its effect on politics and how it divided opinion amongst policymakers, creating a chasm between them.

It is interesting how an airborne disease generated a lot of divergent opinions in political circles putting most governments under immense pressure on how to deal with it. No country in the world was spared the whirlwind of the virus, especially the way it exposed the non-preparedness of most governments. In China where the epicenter was, the political elite managed to mask its identity and dealt ruthlessly with anyone who dared to suggest anything other than the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) propagated narrative. The news emanating from China to the rest of the world, was of a deadly flu virus allegedly transferred to humans from bats at a wet market in the city of Wuhan.

Doctors who chose to further elaborate on the deadly nature of the virus were meticulously silenced to make sure the apparent laxity of the researchers in the Wuhan laboratory was not highlighted. There have been many theories with regards to the lethal virus from various sources, but the CCP has made sure it is their narrative that carries the day irrespective of the facts punching holes revealing inconsistencies. 

A keen observer looking at the whole scenario, will not miss spotting the evident divergent opinions brought to the fore by different sources that sought to further illuminate the pandemic. The political juggernaut made sure that, any dissenting voice was scandalously discredited. There have been occasions where YouTube videos that purportedly attempted to shed more light on the scourge, were discriminately pulled down to avoid exposing the ruling party.

It is not only in China where there was supposed conflicting information regarding pandemic. The US which to date has recorded the highest number of fatalities as a result of the deadly virus, drew mixed reactions from its political class. President Trump was severally accused of mismanaging the pandemic by not taking the necessary precautions which led to the steep rise of infections leading to a high number of deaths. 

This being an electioneering year, it was no surprise a lot will be at stake for the current government judging by how it handles the pandemic. The opposition relayed their fair share of blame and leveled plenty of accusations highlighting improper handling of the virus and intimating a failed leadership that does not deserve another term in office.   

The hot contest for the coming polls lived up to expectations, suggesting Democrats' dissatisfaction with the current administration. They viewed the current regime as a failure for not making sure American lives are protected. Not only that, but the image portrayed abroad had also been decimated by Trump’s administration. The mudslinging concerning the unpreparedness was going to be a factor in gauging the administration’s ability to weather the storm.