With the COVID-19 now affecting 750,890 people worldwide and killing 36, 405 as of March 31, it is only logical to say that the pandemic is no laughing matter. In the past 24 hours, there are 57,610 people who contracted the virus while 3,301 died due to COVID-19.
The trend is also evolving in that New York State is becoming the new epicenter of the virus. The confirmed cases in the state have surpassed the number in China's Hubei province where Wuhan the first epicenter of the outbreak is. New York City accounted for 43,139, making more than 50% of all cases in the states. It only goes to say that indeed New York is the new epicenter of the world when it comes to the novel coronavirus.
Amid this backdrop, it only is justifiable for countries to impose tough measures against people who will make an April Fool's Day prank about the pandemic. Measures are as tough as having people in prison if they joke about the situation.
In Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen warned against his people from making any April Fool's Day prank about the pandemic. He added that anyone who found doing so will be jailed to up to three years or be fined of up to $100,000.
In India, the Maharashtra state's cyber-security unit said pranksters will face legal actions. In Germany, top officials appealed to people to forego traditional April Fool's Day prank.
In the Philippines, local government leaders are also warning people against making jokes about the outbreak.
Tech giant Google decided to suspend its traditional April Fool's Day this year. The company is known for its elaborate pranks in the past years. However, an internal memo was distributed among Google employees advising against releasing pranks this year.
Lorraine Twohill, Google's head of marketing, wrote that Google should be helping people with relevant information at this time. She encouraged all departments to stop any jokes that they mah planned, "internally or externally."
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump has a more tone downed message to Americans. This after health experts predicted that as many as 100,000 to 240,000 deaths will happen in the US due to the outbreak. And, this is the best-case scenario already, they said.
Trump has shifted from his reluctant tone to a more understanding one. He calls for tough social distancing and other related measures because the outbreak is now a matter of life and death.
In Europe, there are now 423,946 people with infections, plus 31,131 in the past 24 hours. Deaths are now at 26,694, plus new fatalities at 2,733. The region has about ten countries with more than 10,000 people infected by the virus.
