Explaining Covid-19 to a 5 year old

by Trevor Watkins 26/4/2020

Dad, can I go and play with Johnny?

No son, the government won't allow you to because you might get sick.

But Dad, I get sick all the time and so does Johnny. We both had the flu last winter. It didn’t stop us from playing with each other.

It is different this time, son. There is this thing called covid-19 which is a virus like the flu. Millions of people might get sick and die if everyone doesn't stay inside and alone.

Wow! Do we know anyone who has died?

No. It is mostly old people who get sick and die.

So, if young people don't get sick, can I go play with Johnny?

No! I told you the government doesn't allow anybody to go and play with anybody else.

Ok, so how long are they gonna stop us from playing?

Until nobody is dying anymore from Covid 19. Nobody knows how long that will take. It's better to be safe than sorry.

How many people are dying right now of covid-19? Is it thousands and thousands?

Actually, no. In South Africa it's a bit less than 100.

I have seen that lots of people die in car accidents. Must we also stay inside until no one dies of car accidents?

No. That's different.

And James says lots of people die from crime in South Africa. Must we stay inside until there is no more crime?

No, that's different.

If I can't play with Johnny can I take Muffin for a walk in the park?

That's not allowed either.

Is the government worried about Muffin getting sick too?

No they don't care if Muffin gets sick, But you still can't take him for a walk

That's just stupid. Ok, so why are you home all the time now?

I'm not allowed to go to work because of covid-19. Actually I don't think I have a job anymore.

How are you going to pay for food and toys and stuff if you don't have a job?

I don't know.

So, can we go to the shops and buy something?

Yes, I can go to the shops, but you must stay in the car.

So it's OK for you to go shopping with hundreds of people, but I can't go play with Johnny?

Yes, I don't understand it either.

So what if we just don't listen to them and I go play with Johnny?

Then the police will come and they will beat you and possibly put you in prison.

Aren’t the police supposed to protect you and me?

This is different

Is it like this all over the world?

Mostly, but some countries have taken a different path. If you lived in Sweden you could go play with Johnny.

And have they all died?

No, actually. They seem to be doing about the same as everyone else.

So we go to all this fuss and it seems to make no difference?

Yep

And you think I'm the child here.

3.2 million years

Cyril Ramaphosa and his fellow travellers in the ANC have stolen 3.2 million years from the lives of ordinary South Africans that they will never get back. 21 days for 57 million people equals 3,279,452 years. Plus who knows how many billions of rand their ill-thought out plans will cost.

Perhaps a few middle-class lives will be saved from covid19. Just as a few middle-class lives will be saved from the flu, from the motor accidents, from the criminal violence that might otherwise have occurred. But this lockdown will not have worked for the vast majority of the poor living cheek-by-jowl in our townships. It will not have worked for the millions who congregated in supermarkets and pharmacies and taxis. But magically all this will be forgotten when the number of fatalities withers away, as they surely must.

Ever wondered how they persuaded all those Jews to walk into the ovens? Fear of violence, desire to live, ignorance, uncertainty, doubt. Unthinking obedience to their rulers in government. Sound familiar?

Today, 5th of April 2020, is a fascinating moment in the history of both South Africa and the world. It is a nexus. It may be a turning point for our western civilization. Let's consider where we find ourselves.

We are halfway through the South African lock down. So far there have been nine deaths and somewhat less than 2000 recorded infections. The rate of infection has been going down for the last 4 days. It looks as though the Covid19 infection rate has peaked. The 10,000 tests backlog may be hiding some real and horrific information. Possibly the number of infections will zoom up in the next two weeks. But the only really important measure will be the number of deaths directly related to the Covid19 illness. This will become clear in the course of the next two weeks.

If the number of deaths exceed the annual flu total, then we have some real cause for concern. If they don't, how will government respond? Will they say “Oops, sorry, my bad”, and attempt to carry on as if nothing had happened? Or will they bluster and fume and invoke evermore outrageous powers to cover their confusion, and save their skins. How will we as a society respond to this atrocious attack on our liberties? Probably with a meek “Oh well, at least they tried”.

If the Swedish and South Korean experiments succeed, will major western governments fall? If these experiments fail, will the West stay in lockdown for months? Will we have an economy to come back to?

I look forward to the next 2 weeks with a sort of grim delight.