Dear Readers,

If there’s one thing that’s as lethal as the ongoing catastrophic Coronavirus, it is the rumour-mongering and spreading of fake news related to the fatal disease, which causes unnecessary panic and anxiety. We all know how deadly the partnering of social media and fear always turns out to be… even as the ever-hungry social media flames engulf these toxic rumours we feed it, to deliver a spread of the noxious fumes of neuroticism – polluting and terrorizing the environment.

When this paper went to print, the number of casualties claimed by this epidemic – which originated in Wuhan, China but is now prevalent in 28 countries including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Australia, the UK, USA, India – was 1,384, with a total of 64,458 (of which 63,865 in China) confirmed cases of the Coronavirus. It continues to take a massive toll on human lives globally, and it’s damaging the economy.

The world over, people are truly scared of this largely incurable outbreak. So many have lost their loved ones and many more are in absolute dread of contracting it. We have to show more respect than that. Yes, it’s important to share the latest news for the sake of information as much as for safety. But before blindly hitting the forward button, on the forward we have received, could we make the effort to at least verify the same? This way, we can avoid being fake-news mules and correct the sender from spreading fake information. And with the virus now in India, it’s time to re-read the ‘Coronavirus precautions to practice’, that we’ve yet again, forwarded without a second thought…

Have a good and safe weekend!

– Anahita