The article below was written in a different time, before coronavirus was declared a pandemic and stay-at-home orders went into effect. The casual responses of confidence in our safety and belief in the virus’s harmlessness reflect a very different time, although only a month has passed. This article, therefore, is not a traditional “BSA POV”; it serves as a sort of time capsule that shows just how much perceptions of the pandemic have changed, although some perspectives included in the story were ahead of their time and have changed little. Without further ado, this is what students, the author included, believed regarding the threats posed by the novel coronavirus:

With the recent outbreak of coronavirus and the growing number of countries and people catching it, it is no wonder that the news and media are freaking out. There are, however, clear differences in information reported on just how devastating the virus is. Some numbers point to the virus inevitably reaching 60% of the population and it being very lethal, while others state that there is nothing to be worried about. This conflict in information is quite disconcerting, and it shows that news sources may be focused more on eyeball traffic than anything else.

Seabury students certainly do not seem concerned. “I don’t think it’s actually that deadly,” says seventh grader Sean Ruddy. “I’ve heard it only really affects old people who already have existing conditions. I think, while it probably will become widespread, it ultimately is only going to affect the elderly.”

Taking a similar position, senior Jett French says, “As a young individual I really don’t feel at all threatened. I know that for the most part, unless you are very old or sick, you should be fine. So I’m really not concerned about it, even if does spread throughout America”

This optimism may be legitimate, because when this article was written, over 95,000 people have been infected worldwide and only 3,186 people have died. Out of those cases, 49,000 have recovered. 

No matter how deadly the virus itself actually is, some students and faculty stressed how crucial it is that the world tries to contain it. The virus is spreading worldwide and currently is in 19 countries,  including Afghanistan, Algeria, Afghanistan, Brazil, Canada and France with more possible cases on the way. The main problem is that the symptoms can set in as late as two weeks after initial contact, which makes it much harder to control.

“I think if travel is shut down, it won’t spread worldwide. If all airports and transportation are shut down and major sites for human contact are closed, I think the virus will have a very low chance of spreading worldwide, ” says freshman Enzo Karam.  Currently, many airports, as well as major places of human interaction such as museums and other tourist attractions are being shut down. 

“I think it’s better to take the precautions necessary, rather than being in a position where we have no means to defend ourselves against it,” says faculty member Don Meier. “[It is] better to be prepared and ready to contain it. Even though it’s not as lethal as we initially thought, I still think it has the potential to seriously disrupt our daily lives, take school for instance.”

Regardless of how lethal the disease really is, the coronavirus is still a large problem in a global sense. It is up to everyone to research and update themselves on how to prevent and contain the coronavirus.