There’s an apocryphal quote often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi which best sums up the idiocy that permeates in society, particularly Western civilisation, the so-called developed world.
When asked what he thought about the Western civilisation, Gandhi had reportedly said: “I think it’s an excellent idea.”
Nowhere does this idea presents itself more forcefully than the way some people have reacted to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States of America.
In Florida, thousands of Spring Break revellers have refused to put an end to their bacchanalia even as authorities urged social distancing.
Despite warning from experts, and Trump’s new recommendations, revellers in Miami refused to stop partying. The recommendations include no social gatherings with more than 10 people and not eating at restaurants and bars.
The Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already asked all bars and nightclubs to be closed by 5 PM on March 18. However, he didn’t announce state-wide closure of beaches.
Beachgoers didn’t take the message seriously. A Spring Breaker from Ohio told Reuters: "If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna let it stop me from partying. We're just out here having a good time. Whatever happens, happens."
International studies professor Dr Michael A McFaul wrote on Twitter: “If these fools were just endangering themselves , that'd be fine by me. But they are not. They are endangering all Americans. That's what we need our government leaders to lead & shut this down now.”
NDTV journalist Nidhi Razdan noted: “Dear America, you’ve a stupidity problem.”
The deadly coronavirus outbreak, which first emerged in China's Wuhan city last year, has killed 8,809 people and infected 21,8631 across 157 countries and territories, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
The United States now has at least 8,736 cases of the coronavirus and 149 deaths, according to state and local health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New York is by far the worst-hit state, with more than 2,900 cases.
