My encounter COVID-19
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Mercy Awuradwoa Owusu (M. A. O). I had the chance to meet with COVID-19 at its hideout for a special interview.
This is an extract of my interview with COVID-19 for your reading pleasure.
Advertisement
M. A. O: Hello COVID-19, my name is Mercy Awuradwoa Owusu and a Class 5 pupil of the University of Cape Coast Basic School in Ghana. I am not happy to meet you.
COVID-19: Hahahahaaa! My full name is Coronavirus disease 2019 but I am known globally as COVID-19.
M. A.O: Who are you?
COVID-19: I am a novel virus belonging to the coronavirus family. I was discovered in a city called Wuhan located in China during the latter part of the year 2019.
M.A.O: Why did you spread so fast to every part of the world within this short period?
COVID-19: I do not spread on my own; it is people who have carried me to every part of the world. When I first surfaced, people did not identify me as a novel deadly virus because my symptoms like coughing, sneezing and difficulty in breathing were similar to existing health conditions such as flu.
I spread through close human contact but because most people were busily travelling across the globe for tourism, sports, religion, conferences, Christmas, businesses and other group activities without adhering to any health protocol to contain my spread, it facilitated my active and fast movement to almost every part of the world.
M. A.O: Which aspects of human activities have you affected?
COVID-19: From daily update reports I have been receiving from journalists, governments and other concerned institutions, I can say boldly that I have negatively affected every aspect of human endeavour: education, economy, religion, social, sports, family, technology and what have you. In fact, my impact is very devastating and seriously disrupted almost every facet of human life.
M. A.O: What concerns me most is Education so specifically, how have you affected education?
COVID-19: I have affected education in many ways. Currently, because of me, all educational institutions in Ghana have been closed down since March, 2020. It is now that based on the President’s directive, schools have partly opened for only final year students.
Even with this arrangement, parents, educational authorities and other actors are seriously afraid that I will spread so they are spending so much money to put in place so many health safety measures. Some businesses that thrive on education have even collapsed all because of me.
M. A. O: And your effect on pupils, teachers and schools?
COVID-19: The rest of the student body have no clue at the moment of when they are returning to school. The students have lost physical contact with their teachers and friends.
More painfully, the school authorities have tried online teaching but there are so many pupils who do not have access to e-learning resources.
I think I have made about 99 per cent of teachers bored by not doing much teaching and supervision. Now, most teachers are even afraid of their own students, their parents and colleague teachers.
I have sadly made some teachers lose their jobs, killed some of them and made life more miserable for others. I have also been a major problem to education administrators and other policy makers and made it difficult for them to make accurate decisions about education. Indeed, I have thrown the academic calendar of the entire world into disarray.
M. A. O: In what other areas have you negatively affected children?
COVID-19: I have shut down most children playgrounds so now children do not have play at public playgrounds / outdoor places .
Again, I have closed down almost all tourist sites in Ghana and other places of interest to children which is depriving them of most valuable learning opportunities through excursions, educational tours and school competitions.
M. A. O: What should children do to avoid your devastating effects?
COVID-19: They should adhere strictly to all the health safety protocols that have been outlined by the President , the Ghana Health Service and the World Health Organisation.
They should regularly wash their hands under running water with soap, wear nose masks and practice social/pysical distancing when they are meeting other people. They should avoid crowded places and mass gatherings and if, possible stay at home until they have something very important to do outside.
They should avoid handshake and use hand sanitiser when access to running water and soap is limited. They should also pray and support those who are working so hard to find a vaccine that could treat me.
M.A.O: We have to end our interview session now. Your effect on children is very devastating. I hope you leave soon never to return. Bye for good.