We’re living in almost unprecedented times.

COVID-19 is spreading across the globe and, at the time of writing, has infected over 117,000 people and caused 4,012 fatalities worldwide. Italy is in lockdown, thousands of new cases are being reported everyday and yet no one still really knows how to react to this pandemic. Markets are dangerously falling, with the stock market seeing its worst week since the 2007 recession, schools are practically closing worldwide, and professional sports organizations are also taking steps to reduce the spread of the virus.

What’s most terrifying about all this is the amount of uncertainty surrounding the whole issue. But with the level of uncertainty, surely that should prompt big organizations to be taking drastic precautionary measures for the sake of human lives? Shouldn’t it? “I think NBA games should be cancelled. Easy as that. Maybe put the season on hold for a couple weeks and see how things develop”, Jazim Khan said. Sports leagues around the world are now playing games without fans but that doesn’t seem to be enough. In England, players aren’t allowed to have a pre match handshake, but what good does that do when it’s followed by 90 minutes of sweating and constant contact with each other? On top of this, some games are still being played behind closed doors in cities and countries where there are travel bans. Later this week, a team from Spain is scheduled to play a team from Milan–a city that is literally on lockdown as I write this. The Spanish team has currently refused to travel for the game because why wouldn’t they? Yet, the governing body of the competition is threatening to punish them if they don’t fulfill their fixture. When I asked another friend of mine what he thought about this he said, “It just sends the wrong message. Why aren’t fans allowed to come to these games, yet the players are still being made to play in them?” I think he’s completely right. Everyone is at risk so everyone should be protected. Just because these large organizations are a little scared to deal with some economic loss doesn’t mean that they should be putting fans and their employees at risk. 

Regarding the coronavirus outbreak as a whole, right now it looks as if things are gonna get worse before they get better. Over 100 countries have confirmed cases at the time of writing with the number of cases seemingly growing exponentially each day. Things do look a little bleak right now, but it’s important not to panic. It’s also important to take this very seriously. Perfectly put by Sheridan Bryan, “Basically, if you’re drinking bleach to try to protect yourself from the virus, you might be a little too worried. But if you’re also going around licking every surface you see because you think your immune system is invincible, then you need a reality check. Find that happy medium in between.”