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The world may be in shambles, but some of the most powerful and influential people seem unfazed. In particular I’m talking about Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. As we know, these men have taken next to no precautions in protecting themselves from the virus, and have made a series of somewhat unideal and questionable choices in these dire times.

Trump, in the first place refused to believe there was a threat at all, and denied the request for forty thousand ventilators across America. This stubbornness could cost thousands in critical condition their lives. Boris, on the other hand, continued to host public events and gatherings, increasing the spread of the virus and the risk of him catching it, which ironically he did.

Another problem is the emergence of racism and discrimination connected with the virus, encouraging the normalisation of racism towards people of Asian descent. And it doesn’t help that Trump is deeming the Coronavirus quote, “the China virus”. One American woman took a picture of a group of Asian tourists and captioned it, “there’s a lot of them, pray for me”. Another woman describes walking down the street and having “its corona time” yelled at her, due to her skin colour. This wave of fear associated with the virus causes anxiety, unsettlement and panic buying, exactly what we don’t need in a situation in which we should just keep calm and stay at home. We should adopt a sanguine persona in these troubling times, and keep in mind what the NHS is advising us to do.