Pestilence

U.S. COVID-19 death toll surpasses 100,000 milestone - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States surpassed 100,000 people as of Wednesday afternoon. The United States has the world's highest death toll, with 100,271 connected to the virus and also has the greatest number of confirmed cases at 1,697,459, according to figures by Johns Hopkins University."

What about the rest of the world? The New York Times reports: "Outbreaks have accelerated especially sharply in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, with caseloads doubling in some countries about every two weeks. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it considered the Americas to be the new epicenter of the pandemic. And although much of the Middle East seemed to avert early catastrophe even as the virus ravaged Iran, case counts have lately been swelling in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates."

Comment: While there are those who seek to make this a political issue to divide people, this remains primarily a threat to public health and welfare. Most people I know take this seriously and are doing what they can to stop the spread of the virus. 

Some Thoughts on the COVID-19 Era

Sorry for that lack of posts of late. Like many of you, I've just been overwhelmed with the pace of events. When I started this blog years ago I would carefully search the news of the day for reports that I considered to be of prophetic importance. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. Now, of course, we are living in a deluge and, I suppose, that's a sign in itself. So, this new coronavirus era, is it important from a BP-perspective? Here are my thoughts.

First, in very general terms, fearsome events and outbreaks tend to cause people to reflect on their own mortality. This means millions of people have been set on a spiritual path and perhaps on the road to salvation. It was documented that after 9/11 the churches in America were filled. I bet the same is true now for the virtual attendance of online church services.

Second, the outbreak may be causing a fundamental change in our use of mobile payments and other form of financial technology. There is now a great emphasis on paying with mobile apps rather than handling currency (that could be contaminated) and even though many countries in the world (particularly in Asia and Europe) are further along than we are in the States, we are quickly catching up. In my own life, I've been using Apple Pay now more than ever. We may be closer than ever to a cashless society.

Third, I think the outbreak has also revealed the emptiness of our fears of global government. It's just not there. As has been well documented, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) had been co-opted by one member country (China) and failed in their obligation to the rest of the members. The UN has no coercive power and can't tell member countries what to do, so governments were left on their own decide how to fight the virus. Some did well and others did not. We are still learning the lessons that need to be learned from those experiments. As for the United States, under Trump's leadership, the U.S. dropped the ball. Not only could we not even care for our own citizens we could not offer the leadership the world expected from us. There were no grand plans from the U.S. for a coordinated global response to this virus. It was not a good showing for America. So, most countries of the world were left on their own and that lack of central authority and leadership is, I think, one of the big takeaways of this outbreak. There is a vacuum of leadership in the world right now and I can't help but wonder if that is because the AC is waiting in the wings?

Finally, there is one big trend I think we need to keep a close eye on, and that is how this outbreak has strengthened the powers of the surveillance state. People living in oppressive countries have been aware of this for some time, but we in the West are just starting to wake up to what it means to live in a tech powered surveillance state where our every move is monitored by computer networks and cameras. It's all in the name of health, of course, but still, it's real. Google and Apple are working on apps that will help in contact tracing (by using Bluetooth to monitor movement). Some places are installing infrared cameras to track temperature from a distance. Countries are talking about issuing "immunity passports" that would enable people to freely travel and get verified for work and public spaces. I think they are debating this in the UK and moving forward with it in Chile and now that  it's on the international agenda, it's an idea that will never go away. Will the future be back to the past, "papers please," a demand from authorities at any time and any place?

For Further Reading

• Washington Post - A quarter of Americans, and a majority of black Protestants, say their religious faith has deepened because of the coronavirus
• Stars & Stripes - The world embraces contact-tracing technology to fight the coronavirus 
• Reuters - U.N. chief laments lack of global leadership in coronavirus fight
• AP - America First meets global pandemic, testing Trump worldview 
• The Wall Street Journal - How Coronavirus Is Eroding Privacy
• Reuters - Apple, Google to release early versions of contact tracing tool to developers 
• UPI - 'Immunity passport' key to containing spread of coronavirus 
• Reuters - Cyber-intel firms pitch governments on spy tools to trace coronavirus