Simply telling about Coronavirus to a child

Letter from the editor

Ashok Silwal

Dear little girl, dear little boy,

What is that Coronavirus?
Where does it live?
Is it very bad?
Can you show it to me?
Why shops and restaurants have been closed?
Why we often see hospitals and doctors on television?

In many families with small children like you, these questions were frequent. Even you, as young children, need to know, to be peaceful, to understand a little this strange situation from one year.

You are hearing that there are no tourists, that times are difficult, that there is little money … it said that children sometimes have a sixth sense!
So, today, I would like to talk with you: to explain very simply, what, who, why, where, when ….. this Coronavirus pandemic…

A tiny virus, invisible to the naked eye, blocked the planet. Everything has stopped. People stayed at home for weeks. Cars and buses have stopped traveling, planes no longer fly. Theaters, cinemas, stadiums, restaurants have been closed, even the Festivals have slowed down…. In all countries of the world, most of the activities have been forced to stop.

I know you are asking yourself a lot of questions and I will try to explain to you the origin of this unexpected situation.

The man thought that everything was allowed. He has cut down forests, polluted rivers, threw millions of plastic objects into the sea ( some your toys too !!), filled the water with poisonous particles. It consumes products he does not really need ( too many clothes for example!!)…Then the earth got sick….and so did the man….

Like many infectious diseases, Covid began with a virus transmitted from an animal to a man. This transition from one species to another are increasingly frequent due the greater concentration of population in cities and also to a wrong agriculture , intensive one that tires the earth. We cram thousands of animals , for example in large industrial chicken farms and we destroyed the habitats of wild animals.

And everything is connected: we have an impact on the environment and the environment has an impact on us. A little change can be amplified away from its point of origin. If you observe a fly that just touches a spider web…. Then the whole web begins to shake!

The Corona virus is a microbe that gets into the lungs. When it is very bad, it prevents you from breathing until you choke.

But it belongs to our world.. Viruses have always existed and in particular, when a man neglects hygiene, he opens the doors to disease and a new virus can spread at great speed.

That is what happens in China, in Wuhan, last year, where many people have been infected by Coronavirus. And the virus travels with humans … especially by planes.

And so, thousands of travelers around the world have passed it on to other people, sometimes with deadly consequences.

The epidemic has gone global and is then called a ‘pandemic’.

I’m talking about pandemics because many think that the world will no longer be the same as before: there will be a ‘before” and an ‘after’ Coronavirus….

This virus mainly affected elderly people; fortunately, it has saved children!
During the days you were forced to stay at home, maybe you had thought about it, you had time to reflect, asking yourself questions. You understood that life is precious because, maybe, some old person you knew died.

You understood that life is full light and beautiful things. You have to learn to grasp the beauty of nature.

How? You have to start trusting yourself.

You are smart, you are sensitive. You have to take care of the environment in which you live.

It is a question of respect, for yourself and for the nature.

Never forget that: TAKING CARE OF ENVIRONMENT IS A VITAL NECESSITY .

The theme of environment must be like the refrain of a song.

If I could make a wish, I would like you to play that refrain in the music of your life.

Use your mind, your fantasy, your imagination, your strength, your generosity.

With your will and your intelligence, you can defend the beauty of life and Earth.. so that darkness never overcomes light.

Enthusiasm and courage….Earth is waiting you with it Beauty!