Newsbrief: Boris Johnson’s hospitalization shows how anyone can be affected by Covid-19

Britons await the next update on, or from, Boris Johnson after the Prime Minister contracted Coronavirus, reports The Economist.   (Links to an external site.)

Testing positive on March 27th Johnson was moved into isolation, then moved to St. Thomas hospital, and now is being treated in intensive care all as “precautionary measures”.

Being the first major governmental head of of the world to fall ill of this virus this news brings to light in not only the British population, but the world, that truly anyone is vulnerable to this virus.

The New York Times’ Katy Balls writes,  (Links to an external site.)“whether Britons like it or not, we are all in this together” – a mindset that has permeated through many regardless if they are within the UK or not. Humanitarian efforts and collective goals like funding testing and supplying first responders have been forefront goals of world powers since the virus became a crisis.

That is not to say that some countries, Britain especially, weren’t taking every measure possible to ensure public safety. Johnson himself was behind the rest of the world in enforcing shut downs and stay-at-home policies to curb the spread of the virus.

photo: Dailymail.co.uk

Political discourse has shifted to fight a “common enemy” of sorts, and as Franklin Pierce politics professor Frank Cohen says, “when fighting a common enemy temporary alliances are formed”.

“The political dynamics have changed, but the challenge ahead for government has only increased in scale.” said Balls, and as Governor of New york Andrew Cuomo says to The Washington Post (Links to an external site.), “It’s not a time to get complacent.”

With major world leaders being tested positive for the virus all citizens of the world should be focusing on how they themselves can keep informed and stay healthy.