1. My dear Jack, you’ll recall that only last week we were discussing about responsibility. Well, the subject is even more germane now given the Coronavirus pandemic. #Letr2Jack
2. The world is shutting down, parts of the world have shut down. The world is mourning. And the mighty have not been spared. Corona has penetrated palaces. #Letr2Jack
3. You’ve got to exercise a sense of responsibility to your family, and to society at large. You have to think of others. Don’t expose yourself unnecessarily to contamination. That’s irresponsible. #Letr2Jack
4. Viruses are smart. They rely on us to physically transport our death sentence as a species. We contaminate ourselves, serve as the primary transportation system. We’re the subway for viruses. #Letr2Jack
5. In a nod to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti we carry death in our pouch. Everyone is a potential Anikulapo now. We’re all free radicals. #Letr2Jack
6. But you shouldn’t panic. We can’t afford to panic. Panic will lead us to desperate measures, like the taking of unprescribed medication as preemptive measure. That’s dangerous. We risk our lives even more going down that route. #Letr2Jack
7. Chloroquine is not Paracetamol. Even popping Paracetamol like we’re taking a bite of bitter kola is abuse of medicine, not to talk of Chloroquine. Abuse of Chloroquine can lead to something called Chloroquine retinopathy. Judging by the sound of that it can’t be good.
8. Excessive use of Chloroquine can damage your sight. And there’s no treatment to reverse the damage. Chronic Chloroquine toxicity can cause heart block in Africans. #Letr2Jack
9. Do all you can to avoid contamination. Exercise Corona hygiene. Wash your hands regularly. Insist on the washing of hands and the use of sanitizer in your house. Everyone coming into your home must use sanitizer, no sentiments. It’s commonsensical. #Letr2Jack
10. You need to observe the social distancing protocol. The less exposed you are to others the lesser the risk of infection. #Letr2Jack
11. Which is why it’s not advisable to go to church at this time. (Or to go to mosque) In Christian theology you’re the temple not the physical church. We only gather in church for corporate and governmental stuff. A bit complicated to explain, but let’s leave it. #Letr2Jack
12. Fellowship through technology for now. God is not technology illiterate. He’s tech savvy. If he’s not we have to question his credentials as God. He’s always been adept at technology. He’s on TV, remember. And he’s on your phone. #Letr2Jack
13. God knows your home address. He still making house calls. He famously followed Joseph to prison. #Letr2Jack
14. One infected person in a church setting can cause serious problems for a nation. He’ll infect others who then become Corona evangelists, spreading the bad news called Corona. Corona is bad news. You don’t want it in your neighborhood. #Letr2Jack
15. And the guy is clever. It lies low for some time, doesn’t immediately show its hand. Fools everyone. And just when you think it’s not there it begins to smile a wicked smile. He’s a typical movie villain. #Letr2Jack
16. If Corona were to appear in a Nigerian movie it will be played by Pete Edochie. Corona is a bad guy! You don’t invite bad guys home, don’t introduce a bad guy to your family. (I like Edochie by the way). #Letr2Jack
17. And you don’t want Coronavirus on top of all the issues you’re dealing with, or your nation is dealing with. #Letr2Jack
18. You still have your wedding ahead, though I expect that to be postponed by now. If you insist on sticking to the date you have to scale down. #Letr2Jack
19. All you need for your wedding is a witness actually. That fulfills the law. When Corona has blown over have a proper reception, if you still want to. For now, a large reception will contravene government directive. #Letr2Jack
20. And those directives make sense. No nation has the wherewithal to cope with this thing in full blown mode. Study the pattern of progression. At some point it becomes a runaway virus. Just look at Italy. The nation is emotionally exhausted, laid comatose. #Letr2Jack
21. Even America is scrambling. Ventilators and masks are being requisitioned like in war time period. Manufacturing is being converted for emergencies. #Letr2Jack
22. You don’t want a full-blown Coronavirus problem. Death will stalk the land like the plague in ancient Egypt. No family will be spared - someone’s uncle, someone’s aunty, someone’s father, someone’s mother, someone’s sister, someone brother, cousin, grandma, grandpa will die.
23. There will be a great anguish in the land. There will be cries in the night as another soul gasps its last breath. Our carpenters will be busy. Death will go public. We will need lots of coffins. #Letr2Jack
24. And we will be afraid of attending the funeral of loved ones, lest we pass a death sentence on ourselves. Fear will hunt the land like a Nimrod. There will be foreboding. Death will become an omen. Let us do all we can to keep this plague away. #Letr2Jack
25. We’re told the virus is particularly brutish on the aged. Therefore, take steps to protect your aged parents. Buy them wipes and sanitizers. Socials should be limited. At their age they tend to be particular about funerals. We don’t want THEIR funeral. #Letr2Jack
26. You know Russian scientists took a picture of Coronavirus. It was published by RT. Saw it on Twitter. It was a grey blob with satellite blobs congregating round the mass. It’s hard to imagine this tiny thing is what’s troubling the earth. Potency is not determined by size.
27. Businesses are going to be affected of course. A pandemic affects the financial system. Cashflow is going to be impaired. Conserve what you have. Don’t splurge on nonessentials. Your priorities are health and food. #Letr2Jack
28. You & your girlfriend will not be able to see each other much during this period. The more you have to wade through humanity to get to her, or vice versa the more exposed you’ll be. This is when video calls make a lot of sense. Buy data in lieu of transport cost. #Letr2Jack
29. It’s important we stop imagining this is a movie we’re watching. This is not Andromeda Strain or Contagion. This is real. Life is imitating art. #Letr2Jack
30. Stay calm however. Just follow safety protocols. Everything will be okay. #Letr2Jack
31. Also be careful about misinformation. There’s so much stuff out there and it’s causing panic. That is one downside of social media – everyone is a broadcaster. #Letr2Jack
32. You have this barrage of information coming at you from different angles per second per second, most uneducated, most instilling fear. Be discriminatory about the data you consume on Coronavirus. #Letr2Jack
33. Don’t spread panic either. Sensationalism isn’t going to help us. Don’t spread unverified news. Don’t spread irresponsible information, especially information that you know is blatantly untrue or incredible. You’ll cause panic and neurosis. #Letr2Jack
34. Your mentor, LA. #Letr2Jack
35. For related letters, search for NOW YOU’RE A FATHER, LESSONS FROM PIGEONS and THE TRIALS OF LIFE at jacknjillive.com. #Letr2Jack
36. © Leke Alder | talk2me@lekealder.com. #Letr2Jack
