COVID-19: In Comparison to the Past

Lately, the corona virus has been causing quite a stir in our society. Our everyday activities are being cancelled one by one "out of an abundance of caution" in an attempt to stop this outbreak. The other day, I went to the grocery store with my dad and there were more people there than on Super Bowl Sunday.

Some people, like us, were there to get necessary groceries. Others were in such a state of inner panic about this pandemic that they were stocking up on the essentials like they would never leave the house again in fear of social contact. One man had at least ten California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas piled up in his cart. Why? Why do people panic as much as they do about this virus? Should these reactions be expected? In this blog, I will be exploring past reactions to world pandemics, how they compare to the reaction to the corona virus, and raising a thought-provoking question about what the future holds.

One of the most famous and most deadly pandemics in history was the Bubonic Plague, commonly referred to as the Black Death. The disease was believed to have erupted in central Asia and then spread by fleas and other vectors aboard European trade ships. 
Although medical solutions at the time were often inadequate or non-existent, the European doctors and governmental officials of the 1300s offered sage advice and instruction not unlike modern solutions to COVID-19. Historical medicinal figures, Hippocrates and Galen, offered this advice in Latin: "Cito, longe, tarde," meaning "Leave quickly, go far away, and come back slowly." Recently, we render this advice as social distancing, the reason for many closures of large gatherings across the world. 

In 1347, during the plague's spread to Italy, many ports began to close, and the following year Venice took decisive action in not allowing ships safe harbor if they might carry the disease. As the United States finalizes its closure of international travel, we mirror the past. An eventual food shortage, famine, and economic collapse in Europe in the 1300s may bring light to the instinctual panic in us today in that regard. The quarantine process is not new either. Houses, towns, and communities were set apart for those infected with the plague. How long until our world gets to that point? Our medical advancements and better forms of communication are some of the only advantages the modern world has above the medieval one in stopping a pandemic. 

Finally, the church in Europe took a stand against the Bubonic Plague by proclaiming a faith in the will of God, showing their trust by helping the sick, risking their own lives by staying in infected communities, and praying for forgiveness and for this punishment to end. While the modern churches do not walk up and down the streets whipping themselves as a form of repentance in hope that God will end the suffering of all, the response of unwavering faith in God is still present. Even though churches close their doors to public gatherings, the church body still seeks to help the community at large. In a recent article in the New York Times, Dr. Esau McCaulley writes, "It is possible that, strangely enough, the absence of the church will be a great testimony to the presence of God in our care for our neighbors." 

The Black Death brought about a new era in history and for some new faith and comfort in God. What will the corona virus bring?

Bibliography:

“5e5d05a6fee23d71f4502714.” Steve Saretsky, 11 Jan. 2016, stevesaretsky.com/human-sentiment/5e5d05a6fee23d71f4502714/.

Mccaulley, Esau. “The Christian Response to the Coronavirus: Stay Home.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/opinion/coronavirus-church-close.html.

“Science Museum. Brought to Life: Exploring the History of Medicine.” The Black Death and Early Public Health Measures, broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/themes/publichealth/blackdeath.

“The Black Death.” Historic UK, www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Black-Death/.