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Sunday, March 22, 2020

#COVID-19UGANDA day 1; May it be light and may we be light

In the few hours since yesterday's post, Uganda has joined the 169 countries around the world with cases of the SARS-CoV-2 induced illness, COVID-19. Our first identified case was a 36 year old Ugandan man who went to UAE (Dubai) on business and returned to Uganda ill. He was identified in screening at the airport, isolated, and tested.

While his test was still pending, the President instituted new restrictions. Borders are now closed. No passenger planes may land or depart as of midnight tonight. No one can ride a bus or a boda or walk or bike over a land border, or take a boat over the Lake borders. If you are in Uganda now, you are here for the foreseeable future. If you wanted to come back, it's too late. Cargo and UN movement only.

World cases now well over 300 thousand, with 14 thousand deaths.

Here is what we don't know: in most countries, the first identified case came when hundreds had most likely already been infected. Here's what we also don't know: how bad will it be, what will the hospital look like, how quickly will the commerce shut down, what will the security implications be? Salt prices doubled immediately. Cocoa prices are dropping with the lack of a European market. Security fired tear gas to disperse the usual market as a meeting place.

We are all in this together. The only way to get to the other side is to pass through whatever the next months hold, together. "Social cohesion with spacing" sounds better than social distance. 1 Peter 3:8 calls upon us to have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Young people are restricting their freedoms, to protect their grandparents. Neighbours are looking out for their neighbours. Nurses and doctors are showing up for dangerous work, advocating, improvising. Creative people are reaching out on line to lead exercise classes or read books aloud. Pastors are preaching online.

And God's people are responding like they have for centuries. Martin Luther wrote in 1527 a very long letter answering the question of whether it was permissible to flee the plague.  In the middle ages, ships infested with flea-ridden rats were the globalizing force of trade and the vectors of plague, much as the incredibly connected airlines have allowed a respiratory virus to spread worldwide in a matter of weeks in our century. His letter is remarkably nuanced. Believers should not seek death; God has created each life and we are right to extend life to do good. He very practically recommends use of medicine, fumigation of housing, rest, and even avoiding places of illness where one's help is not needed. But that right is tempered by the imperative to serve one's neighbour. Love inherently carries the reality of risk. He writes that if it is possible to be more safe without hurting or abandoning others, we should, but then says:

Now if a deadly epidemic strikes, we should stay where we are, make our preparations, and take courage in the fact that we are mutually bound together.

 Social cohesion, resting on God's promises to care for us and showing God's mercy to all. Social spacing, to protect others as best we can. Social risk-taking if you are an essential worker, a first-responder, a health care worker, a farmer, a person who keeps electricity and water and fuel available.

These are sobering times, and incredibly complex decisions. We know that here in Uganda we are only at the very beginning of the exponential upswing the USA is now experiencing. This is one plague that you really can't flee; there is no place on earth likely to remain unaffected.

Our youngest, newest team member prayed this prayer, which I believe captures both the legitimate desire to escape harm and the determination to do good; much like "Lord I believe, help my unbelief" (shout out to Lindsey):
Lord, may the pandemic in our country be light.
And as it comes, help us to be light.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Amen.