Outbreak of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken a toll on the world population with death threats hovering all over. The alarming situation forced the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to declare coronavirus pandemic a national emergency on Friday. The government is keen to boost relief operations against the widely spread respiratory infection.
Coronavirus marked its first glimpse in the Chinese district of Wuhan and got successful in enveloping all the major countries and regions around the world in a very short span. The rising death tolls caused because of the disease have created serious concerns for the governments and global organizations who are striving hard to find a remedial solution for the patients as well as the non-infected people. The severity of the disease has created a major health crisis on a global scale and has crippled the economic arena in a significant manner.
The fear of rising COVID-19 infections has compelled the Chinese government to halt economic operations and industrial trading activities. This was followed by a worldwide lockdown of institutions, schools, shops, and business entities. The intention was to avoid social interaction and mass gatherings, which are a common reason for the transmission of the coronavirus amongst people.
In China, the lockdown order came from above. It was executed by a state run by technocrats, and the population generally bought in.
In the US, lockdown is a bottom-up push from social media. The state isn't run by technocrats, the population isn't fully bought in.
— Balaji (@balajis) March 16, 2020
Interestingly, post the U.S President’s official statement, an array of rumors flooded the social media platforms. The speculations triggered unrest in the country as it triggered speculations of a national lockdown. A wide range of tweets floored on the social media handles claiming shut down of restaurants, bars, hotels, and public venues for a span of 48-72 hours.
https://twitter.com/twobitidiot/status/1239378438009638913
Soon, the legal authorities cleared the air of confusion amongst the general public by refuting the claims made by the social media technocrats. The statements released by the official organizations affirmed that there is no lockdown in the country, and the rumors of a national quarantine spread through social media are fake and baseless.
Here's the official pushback: https://t.co/UGqPLyf7Tq
— Tuur Demeester (@TuurDemeester) March 16, 2020
In this global crisis, it becomes a core social responsibility for the people worldwide to keep themselves informed with the right and accurate information derived from trustworthy media sources. Start following the safe health regime, avoid social interaction, and keep the COVID-19 infection at bay.
