By: Phurba S. Moktan
WHO has named the disease COVID-19, short for “coronavirus disease 2019” In addition, in a statement from the Coro
navirus Study Group (CSG) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, which is responsible for developing the official classification of viruses and taxa naming (taxonomy) of the Coronaviridae family, formally recognizes this virus as a sister to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses (SARS-CoVs) of the species Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus and designates it as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus has first seen in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019 as pneumonia of unknown cause. Then, soonest it has been spread to other countries such as South Korea, Iran, Italy, etc. despite the political territory, eco
nomic boundaries and cultural alterations. The outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020. Bats, snakes and pangolins have been cited as potential carriers based on the sequence homology of CoV isolated from these animals and the viral nucleic acids of the virus isolated from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The costs of the epidemic are not limited to medical aspects, as the virus has led to significant sociological, psychological and economic effects globally.
Global reach out of COVID-19
According to World Health Organization (WHO) SARS-CoV-2 Situation Report , additional cases have been identified in a growing number of other international locations, including 25 countries outside China (Figure 1). There are now three deaths that have been reported outside of China (one in the Philippines, one in Japan and one in France). The WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020, citing that human-to-human infections have been confirmed in multiple countries.
According to Fang et al. , fifteen cases of childhood infection had been identified as of January 30, 2020, including 8 boys and 7 girls, ranging in age from 8 months to 12 years. Of the 15 pediatric cases, 13 had a clear history of family clustering in Wuhan. At present, several confirmed pregnant women in Wuhan have given birth during the illness.
Global verge of COVID-19 and Corona anxiety in Nepal
The WHO says that since there’s still uncertainty about the disease’s impact, most countries still have only a few cases, and containment is not yet hopeless, the word “pandemic” isn’t appropriate yet. But many observers have disagreed with the WHO’s decision, believing that what we’re seeing unfold now fits the definition of the word.
People of Nepal is very sensitive to external changes, either bird flu or, the present Corona virus (COVID-19). Even during the time of boarder lock done be the India government few years back, the extreme level of anxiety has shown in the form of market monopoly. Within the few days of the rumor spread over ICT platforms, people started to buy bunch of face masks for infection prevention and hand sanitizer for cleaning quick hands without water. Similar to this, market vendors are also encouraged themselves to create artificial scarcity of the above goods and sell through the window with high price.
Few days back, gas cylinder that we are using in our house has got finished. I went to the shop to change the gas cylinder with the new one. But the shopkeeper said that there is a shortage of the gas in the town. I just got amazed that how such things could become so easily shortage, which are our everyday part of the goods. Though the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has already declared to punish the black marketers who artificially create shortages of the house cooking gas. But the thing is I have not still received any cooking gas from the vendor.
Similar case has found in some other essential household chore goods such as salt. One of my neighbor purchased 10 packets of salt. Another neighbor told my mother to buy enough sacs of rice before it get shortage due to the alarming Corona. Since majority of the urban Nepalese have the culture of limited purchase for the fooding in general, but this has been changed rapidly in case of any rumors, that could be bird flu, strike or, the Corona.
There is a universal principle of demand and supply, in which high demand with low supply hikes the price and vice versa. In fact, in case of Nepal, artificial shortage created low supply precedes the high price for the consumer goods. This has clear with my own ethnographic study among around 10 medical shops with pricing Rs. 25 for the usual medical masks that I used to buy in 5-10 rupees. And, even the quality is not that much proficient even in comparison with the previous prices.
In Japan, producers companies are very sensitive by themselves that they choose to shrinkflation (an important economic countermeasure against inflation for businesses) rather than increasing the price of their goods. In case of Nepal, reverse is very common. If anything happens, the black markets shows its’ deadhead to create the shortage first and hike the price in second.
Corona pandemic has shifted the style of greeting in Nepal for many as well. So, far only one positive case has found in Nepal. Nevertheless, due to the open boarder in India and direct neighbor of China, Nepalese people are much in panic from the Corona. The global claims of more than 4000 lives and almost all from China has led the supreme hike of anxiety among most Nepalese these days. Corona anxiety has always in the center among the gossips of people. Some days back, when I visited to my university campus at Kirtipur, my classmates also denied to shake hands, instead they said “Corona namaskar” (Corona greetings). Similarly, some used legs to touched legs instead of hand. This has signifies that cultural practices can be changed as per the current coercive scenario. This has done by Corona this time, which might have changed a lot times in the past as well. And, development and cultures are very closely linked.
The final bell
My cousin sister use to go to learn her teaching practice course these days. 3 days back, she came to my house for a tea reciprocity. She looked very serious and worried. I asked to her about her worries. She shared with a depressed note that now it will be everything gone soon if Nepal hit with the Corona virus outbreak. She has two small children. She was very worried about them too. She was just feeling very hopeless about the future. More a less, I consoled her to be comfortable and not to get worried too much. She got such devastating predication from her colleagues that future will be uncertain. It means now the anxiety has been spreading more and more with the reckless thoughts of being lost. Even my father has also told us to stay home for whole month if the outbreak of Corona happens in Nepal with significant number. He is also getting prepared to buy enough (I must say over enough) foods and fooding. Lastly, people are getting frightened from their inner self regarding the Corona. Due to which the livelihood culture is being altered these days in Nepal, but in the vicious trend.
[Mr. Moktan is a Public Health Professional with MPhil. Anthropology scholar (studentship).]
