With Prince Charles, Boris Johnson, many other top political personalities and someone here (not me) reporting or concealing coronavirus infections, you bet corona (hear how its name resembles “crown” when translated into French, “coron”) has not only touched the crown, it behaves like it plans to kill someone there. It surely will. But God forbid!
The new pandemic looks like an equalizer. It is no respecter of persons. In fact, it looked like a deliberate disrespecter of the high and mighty of the rich, developed world until it really began to filter into Africa and other poor countries.
Kill a big man is not the worst coronavirus will do; it will topple regimes, neutralize warlords, upset the course of political institutions and bring radical unprecedented, unimagined change on the world stage. If corona virus kills Vladimir Putin, singular Russian leader with ways his own and strategies and tactics that keep western governments on the defensive, you bet the West will heave a sigh of relief. If corona takes SalvaKiir of South Sudan, Vice President-cum rebel leader, Riek Machar will have his way to grab power. If Kim Jong Un of North Korea contracts it, most of the top political class of the secret regime will be affected and the US will be rubbing its fingers for an end to a nightmare. If it ravages any of the warring parties in the Cameroon-Ambazonia armed conflict, the other will clink glasses.
Coronabomb
Hence the coronabomb. The ravages of virus have been qualified as the third world war (WW3). Aside those who like US president, Donald Trump believe the virus is a biological war strategy by China to cripple its rivals or those elsewhere who believe it is a western laboratory scheme gone wrong, which all amount to the suggestion that coronavirus is some kind of biological warfare, on the specifics, coronavirus could be used in maliciously as a bomb. Enemies may send carriers to contaminate targets for specific purposes.
In that light, enemy armed groups – including Government armies – may infiltrate enemy groups with coronavirus victims to spread the virus and kill enemy forces where bullets and standard combat strategies have not been successful.
Which is why political detainees or prisoners linked to a political motive and prisoners of war (POWs) could become coronavirus targets. Where eliminating them otherwise could raise eye-brows, they may now be eliminated through coronavirus attacks and left to die slowly. These are perilous times.
Coronaamnesty
As lawyers for certain groups of prisoners launch calls for amnesty based on their particular vulnerabilities, political groups and liberation movements with prisoners could be on double alert, lest their own be exposed or targeted by coronabomb. They may also call for the release of their prisoners to save them from corona death and save the Government any blame for the death by coronavirus of any prisoner linked to a political liberation cause. The scourge of coronavirus could trigger a spate of corona amnesties.
Coronapeace
Not only because the UN scribe Antonio Gutteres called for ceasefires to focus attention to coronavirus, it is also strategic for armed groups to observe a truce. With world attention now focus on the global coronavirus war, and overwhelmed in resources and political attention, armies with superior firepower can do their worst and go away with it. Rebel armies with strong international backing can take advantage of the situation to overrun weak Government armies as well as the more probable scenario of better trained, better equipped Government forces can carry out atrocities, including human rights abuses and civilian attacks, benefiting from world distraction by the ravaging coronavirus. Truce at this time could be good tactic to both show goodwill to the world and the enemy army but also – as armies and armed groups everywhere know better than anyone can tell them – gain time, breathing space, rest, re-equip, re-strategize, reposition, re-… before renewed hostilities resume on a new footing, if corona peace does not obtain.
Coronakindness
Whichever way we look at it, there is some kind of kindness in coronavirus towards Africa. If blackman immunity has been proven wrong with, especially the death of Manu Dibango and Urlus Mabele, if tropical heat potency has been disproved by increasing numbers of on-the-ground contaminations, coronavuris still meant to spare Africa its worst face. The mere fact that unlike Ebola, it broke out in developed countries, ravaged them, stayed there, explained itself by crystalizing its attitude and revealed its antidotes like hand-washing, social distancing, face-masking, etc, coronavirus has been so kind to Africa. But for our own bad habits, laxity, unbelief, lack of befitting health facilities, etc, coronavirus gave Africa tactics and time to prepare before coming.
Coronahealthcare
The big question is: were coronavirus to hit us in full measure as it has the rich countries, how many of us would survive? I take just the resort to ventilators. Evoking a wartime constitutional provision as the US becomes the epicenter of the pandemic with nearly 125,000 patients and over 2,200 deaths, Trump has instructed General Motors to manufacture thousands of ventilators, which I understand are meant to sustain coronavirus patients with breathing difficulties. Were Africa to be that badly hit, how many ventilators do our hospitals have and how shall we get more quickly when we lack the industrial capacity to manufacture them?
Coronaflood
Pardon me for being alarmist. But I fear coronavirus could be the second flood like that of biblical Noah. The Bible says God promised Noah’s flood was the last but knowing that in blessings God’s perfect will can be altered by his permissive will, and measuring the rate of the spread of the virus among the best equipped communities with the best healthcare, the caliber of personalities already touched, I am tempted to think the coronavirus is a second permissive flood to wipe out a good part of the evil world, if not all but a select few.
Coronahumanism
As coronavirus is seemingly targeting the world’s decision-makers, their view of the problems of the power will change radically. If Ebola virus, malaria, HIV/AIDS, hunger and other diseases are calamities befalling the poor because they have not worked as hard as them to break out of the poverty circle, to which they may only donate the remainder of their resources after spending the better share on their luxuries, now they will understand calamity can befall anyone and everyone. That is, if they survive this “coronaflood”.
New corona, new fashion
We have often said “new year, new fashion”. This being the second coronavirus attack after the small-scale one of 2003 that remained in Asia, this new coronavirus attack ravaging the world has already caused change of ways in many ways.
Now we wash our hands frequently (as if it were right for us to eat without washing hands), we keep a safe distance from each other, we do not shout into each other’s face, we do not cram in taxis and private vehicles, we stay home at night or rush home after work. These are all normal ways we neglected which we just may adopt thanks to coronavirus, that is, if we survive the “coronaflood”.
Coronaviruscelebs
Aljazeera
Top politicians, celebrities and sports people have been infected as governments take strict measures to curb the virus.
High-profile events including the annual Met Gala – often referred to as fashion’s biggest night out – has been postponed indefinitely from its scheduled date in May, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the United States.
The Cannes Film Festival, due to be held in France in May, has also been postponed, with organisers now looking at June or July dates. Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress and singer Rita Wilson, British actor Idris Elba, and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are some of the best-known people to be infected so far. Who else has been affected?
Government officials, spouses:
Carmen Calvo: Spain’s deputy prime minister tested positive for coronavirus on March 25, the Spanish government said. Prince Charles: The Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne tested positive for the coronavirus on March 25. The 71-year-old is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”, said a spokesman for the Clarence House royal residence, adding that he was self-isolating at a royal estate in Scotland. Prince Charles’s wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, has also been tested but does not have the virus. Boris Johnson: The prime minister of the United Kingdom said on March 27 that he tested positive for coronavirus and was self-isolating. Nadine Dorries: A minister in the UK’s health department was the first British politician to test positive on March 10. Peter Dutton: The Australian home affairs minister is in isolation in hospital after contracting the virus. Matthew Hancock: Britain’s Health Secretary Matthew Hancock announced on March 27 he tested positive for the coronavirus. Hancock said he would be self-isolating and working from home. Alister Jack: Scottish Secretary and member of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Cabinet has developed symptoms of COVID-19.
Abba Kyari: The Nigerian president’s chief of staff has tested positive for coronavirus, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on March 24. In his 70s, Kyari is an important figure in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
Rand Paul: The Republican from Kentucky is the first US senator to test positive for coronavirus.
Prince Albert: Monaco’s Prince Albert II has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the principality said in a statement on Thursday, adding there were “no concerns for his health” and that the titular head of the Mediterranean enclave is continuing to work from his private apartments at the royal palace.
Michel Barnier: The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator said in a tweet that he has tested positive for the virus.
Jeremy Issacharoff: Israel’s ambassador to Germany has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement March 17. Issacharoff was reported to have contracted the virus following a meeting with a deputy from the Federal Assembly of Germany, whose name was not mentioned.
Friedrich Merz: The 64-year-old politician, who has been campaigning to lead Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at a congress planned for this year, said on Twitter on March 17 that he tested positive for coronavirus and was under self-isolation at home.
Massoumeh Ebtekar: The Iranian vice president is the country’s highest government official to be infected, which has also affected several senior officials in the country. Iraj Harirchi, Iran’s deputy health minister, is also stricken. Iran is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East.
Begona Gomez: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife tested positive, officials in his office said late on Saturday. While Begona Gomez tested positive, the health of both she and the prime minister was fine, the officials said. Spain said it would place the entire country under lockdown as the number of diagnosed cases exceeded 6,000.
Quim Torra: The local leader of Spain’s Catalonia region said on March 16 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and that he was going into self-isolation in a government building.
Pere Aragones: The Catalan deputy head of government announced on March 15 that he had also tested positive for coronavirus.
Franck Riester: Earlier this week, the French minister of culture said he was staying at his home in Paris after contracting the virus. France has also imposed a partial lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19.
Fabio Wajngarten: The press secretary for Brazilian President Bolsonaro tested positive after he returned from a US trip where he met, among others, US President Trump, who later tested negative.
Oumarou Idani: Burkina Faso’s minister of mines has tested positive.
Stanislas Ouaro: Burkina Faso’s minister of education is confirmed to have COVID-19.
Simeon Sawadogo: Burkina Faso’s interior minister has the new coronavirus.
Alpha Barry: Burkina Faso’s foreign minister tested positive for COVID-19, he said on Twitter on March 20.
Deaths of celebrities and officials
Manu Dibango: The 86-year-old Cameroonian Afro-jazz legend died in Paris on March 24, his representative said.
Steven Dick: The deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Budapest has died after contracting coronavirus, the UK’s Foreign Office said on March 25.