Apart from the sudden religious trust in alcohol-based sanitisers and washing of hands under running water for 20 seconds, the next most peddled advice in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) scare is: avoid large crowds and practice social distancing.
Italy knows best.
For a country that encountered the pandemic weeks after China, the transmission rate has been more devastating than anyone expected.
Italy as of Tuesday, March 24, had recorded 6,077 deaths out of over 63,927 confirmed cases of the virus.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 has infected 381,744 people and killed just over 16,558 with 102,429 recoveries (as of March 24, 2020).
Let us rewind to the neglected precautionary measure that tore apart the very fabric of this European fashion powerhouse; social distancing.
Social distancing according to health experts typically means cancelling large gatherings like festivals and conferences and is used as a public health strategy to help slow, track, and eventually curb the spread of airborne diseases like the flu, tuberculosis and of course, coronavirus.
Hold on to that thought.
Ghana in recent times has seen a surge in young photographers executing amazing work across all spheres of the economy. While quite a number of them are fixated on the craft for recreational purposes, a huge chunk have their daily bread dependent on this fast-growing profession.
Seeing that the Ghanaian culture has a knack for communal celebrations of milestones in grand style, it is difficult not to see why the job of today’s freelance photographer is considered a lucrative venture.
But after the novel coronavirus hit, lenses lost their focus.
Award-winning photojournalist with The Multimedia Group, David Andoh explains why.
“If you are a photographer who relies on these events to make money since there are nomor gatherings this time, you will make nomor money,” he said while wrapping up to vacate his office after a day’s work.