Back in WW1 and WW2, the wars were different. Mainly two groups were fighting against each other. This time it is different. Almost every country is in a war with itself as well as with the others. This time we have a common enemy, and the worst thing, the enemy is invisible. This is the first time but probably not the last time that we as a globalised world are tested on such a scale against one single enemy.  Unfortunately, we have been totally failed in handling this situation.

How did we fail? I do not want to talk much about it, but in a nutshell, some reasons were.

• Coronavirus was not taken seriously
• Initially, it was considered a China problem, and we all were watching the show
• There is also some blame on China as it was also unable to fully comprehended the situation and informed the world
• WHO early warning system has almost failed. Ironically, WHO is still unsure whether wearing a mask is useful.
• Developed countries such as the UK and the United States were initially unconvinced that it could be a threat for them. They were kicking the can down the road. They are still procrastinating with the key decisions.
• The US who should take a leadership role has been indulged in trivial things and fanning conspiracy theories.
• I can go on and on

But now the question is, what should we do and what should be the exit strategy?

Exit strategy for COVID-19

• Developing a vaccine is pivotal for a better exit strategy. But how are we doing with the vaccine? That is the interesting part. Every country wants to be in the race. China, UK, US, Germany, France, you name it. Is there any collective strategy? No. Countries or I should say the influential healthcare companies want to cash the opportunity. It is a billion-dollar business opportunity, so how they can share their pie. So I do not think there would be any collective efforts on a government scale to help the humans being and not the multinationals. If all these brilliant minds come together and work together, it can be much faster to make the vaccine ready, which can save thousands of lives. However, the ongoing game is the survival of the fastest. To win the race and gain the market share, some crucial steps may be bypassed, which may have some side effects in the future on our health.
• Testing, testing and more testing are quite essential, and it should be continued.
• I think Lockdowns cannot be continued forever. There should be a flip-flop between lockdown and relaxation on a local/town basis.
• Social distancing should be maintained.
• Face/mouth mask must continue for a more extended period.
• The UK government insists on opening schools on a priority basis. I think schools should be the last to open. Online teaching is the best option in such situations. Having said that, parents can only go to work once kids are out to school or nurseries. For that specific purpose schools must a have really supplicated procedure of keeping the kids safe. Otherwise, schools may spread the virus at a geometric progression or exponential growth. Kids may not be that vulnerable, but they can be a threat to other households.
• Sports event and other gatherings should be banned. Games can be played without spectators or maybe with a limited audience.
• Lockdown should be relaxed in stages; otherwise, we will face a shortage of various items.
• Airports and ports should have strict checks.
• People who enter a country must have 7-14 days quarantine rule, with a penalty for violators.
• IMF and WB should provide some relaxation to developing countries to help them with the lockdown. Otherwise, it would be hard for them to keep the epidemic under control. Otherwise, people may choose to risk dying from a virus or from hunger.

Remember the COVID-19 started from a single person, and it can be triggered again from a single being as long as the virus exists. So, there would not be any hard and fast rule that when and how we can declare a victory. We may live with it with fear for longer than we expect.