Brothers and sisters, for some of us, worrying about the outbreak of the 2019-novel coronavirus or nCoV is unavoidable. Everywhere, we see fellow Filipinos wearing face masks as precaution against the deadly virus. It is said that the nCoV originated from Wuhan, China, and as we write this column, 500 Chinese citizens have perished while 28,000 people globally have contracted this virus. The World Health Organization has alerted that all governments must take action to prevent further spread of this virus. Earlier, the Department of Health has confirmed the first case of nCoV death in the Philippines.
The DOH reminds everyone to remain calm but cautious. It is also important to be clean, especially with the hands. If experiencing coughs and colds, we must cover our mouths and noses. We should also avoid anyone manifesting these symptoms. Although, the nCoV was said to have come from bats, it can spread through human to human contact. We also have to strengthen our immune system to better fight infections. The best way to prevent coronavirus infection is to wash your hands as often as possible, and keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth. These are easy and simple ways that we have to do even if there is no nCoV outbreak in our country.
But aside from preventing the spread of nCoV, we must also remain vigilant and fight the spread of false information about coronavirus. In a world where communication can be done with a press of a button on our smartphones or computers, it is also easy for people with bad intentions to spread fake or wrong information to confuse and scare people.
Many different conspiracy theories about where the nCoV came from have begun to surface. There are also those who say that nCoV was devised by companies to be able to market vaccines. It is also said that nCoV is part of China’s biological weapons program. There is also a story spreading that there are about 90,000 cases of nCoV in China already, but it was revealed that the one responsible for spreading this news is not a medical professional. If we are not observant enough, we can be easily fooled by false information.
For the Church, communications must always be truthful. Any form of communication must be true. This is truly a challenge for this current generation, because even the institutions that we trust and depend on to deliver to us the right and correct information, like the government and media, are also becoming avenues for spreading the wrong information.
Brothers and sisters, our deep caution is accompanied by an advice—be careful about the information we share. Compassion for our fellowmen and women is needed now that there is a dangerous disease in our surroundings, and love is the primary component of this compassion. According to the book of 1 Corinthians 13:6, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
We must not help spread false and malicious information about the nCoV. Let us be responsible in sharing information, especially on social media, so as not to cause alarm and panic among our fellow citizens.
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