On an ‘new normal’ evening, shortly after the lockdown in South Africa had begun, I received a message from Eve Fairbanks of the Huffington Post. She wondered if I could spare some time to talk about the comparison of the coronavirus pandemic to war, which was becoming frequent around the world. This was for a short essay which was expected to be published few days later. She was only the first. Since then, I received numerous similar questions from various people, and it prompted me to reflect on this deeply.

To be clear, this is a deadly virus. COVID-19 does not discriminate, it attacks and kills from all layers of society, races and continents. And there are ways we can slow it down. And maybe, just maybe, have it eventually completely go away.

The socio-economic consequences of this pandemic will be with us for a long time. Covid-19 has become enemy number one of every human on earth, and it is being fought with vigor. Entire economies have been intentionally put on hold, because that is the most effective weapon at our disposal can work: social distancing.

This is a global tragedy. So many references to war are being drawn. And in the past few days, many people who know the significance of the month of April for Rwanda asked me the same question, some more fearful than others. And the fear is not unjustified.

For the Spanish soldiers who have to load dead bodies on military trucks and drive in convoy to a makeshift morgue because there is no more space in actual morgues, this is war. It is the case in several countries in Europe. This is probably as much real war experience as they will ever get. This is war for them. And those bodies were loved ones, children, parents, grandparents, colleagues, friends. And for those who are now forced to grieve without the basic ceremonies or gestures to say goodbye for closure, this is beyond painful.

Some hospitals around the world are simply overrun, healthcare workers are on unusually inhumane shifts without the necessary personal protective gear, racing against time to save lives with limited bed space and equipment, that is war time realities. Most of them are not used to have so much pain and death around them so suddenly, while needing to avoid being infected using limited basic tools.

Heads of states are working overtime, not only to coordinate national efforts to flatten the curve. Safe-guarding national security and maintaining social order is their number one priority. Their raison d’être. For some, this is the biggest threat to national security they will ever face while in office, so war-time modus operandi may be an imperative. While we hear President Ramaphosa who just extended the lockdown by another two weeks talking about Covid-19, it is reasonable to think that behind the scenes, he might actually be losing sleep over potential threats to national order that may be consequences of measures taken against the coronavirus. He may be pre-emptively thinking about which chess piece to move to affect the curve and avert social unrest and limit post-covid economic devastation all at the same time. And as if he didn’t have enough, add two successive downgrade blows which he must help soften, while the economy is on hold. It is a tall order, especially with tied hands. This is war for him.

For big businesses who have to impose pay cuts, defer payments to suppliers while they are expected to pay salaries for an unknown number of months without income, this is the biggest challenge they will probably ever face. For those suppliers and other small businesses, it is simply devastating.

For daily wage workers and low income earners, halting economies affects them immediately. Their worst fear of not being able to put bread on the table is real. Powerless and unsure when it will all end. This is scary, and when they hear the word war, it is real.

And at the same time, we want to be sure that we are comparing comparable things. Because when we speak of war, we hopefully don’t mean…war. Yes we are in a global battle against a deadly virus and bracing for the enormously destructive consequences it is already bringing about. But the question of whether this is war is still out there. Is it even a valid question to ask?

I am not a war expert, nor do I want to become one, ever. But I have lived in a war when I was already old enough to remember it all. My perspective therefore is not a scientific one, but rather derived from lived experiences as a member of an ordinary household in a modest city neighborhood in the middle of a war. And what I know is…

War has a sound.

War has a sight.

Was has a scent.

The sound of war is one to fear. It may start far and sporadic. And for those unfortunate, it gets closer. And louder. And deadly. Even when silent weapons are used, it is still very loud. Silence is pregnant with terror of the impending doom. Every sound heard, however small, affects the heartbeat and sweat might follow. This is not war.

The sight of war is not just empty streets. If not barricaded with stone and sand, which would actually be lucky, they are littered with humans. Lifeless humans. And for sure, looted shops look very different from closed ones. This is not war.

The scent of war is distinct. Burnt gun powder and bomb explosions smoke lingering in the air are sharp on the nose and heavy on the lung. Find yourself outside a few days or weeks later, decomposing bodies or blood may be out of sight but certainly not hidden from the sense of smell. This is not war.

Surprise is an intrinsic aspect of war tactics. You may not know that it is coming so you can stock up or have a few days to set up your home office and make arrangements with employees or employers. If you know it is coming, you may have to do with only rumours, because secrecy is a thing in a war, and information is an expensive commodity. If you are lucky, you will not be forced out of your home, leaving everything or everyone or both behind in the blink of an eye.

But home, home will be different. In this age, your internet will most likely stop working. Your cellphone coverage will last only until they figure out how to switch it off. Hopefully much later, your plugs will just be holes in the wall, because you will have stopped switching on lights anyway so as not to attract attention. Can you cook without electricity? Maybe with gas or paraffin…but from where? With what? Banks will be closed and ATMs off. If you happen to have cash, it may soon be worthless as there may be nothing to buy. Bank notes may become just paper. For real.

If you have a car, driving it to look for what you and family need will probably the most dangerous thing you could do. There is a thing called RPG. But they probably won't use it, because they need your car. Hopefully, they will let you go with your shoes on feet and watch on wrist.

You still have water? Well, the water supply is a usual strategic target, and so are all essential services. Fuel stations, pharmacies, hospitals you name them. But even if not attacked, those who would go to work there are probably hiding like you. Your suffering because of the lack of vital products and services is most likely strong leverage for at least one of the warring parties. The only essential services are their soldiers, and if you encounter them on your way to fetch much needed water for family, you better hope they believe you are on their side. Or else, you will probably not come back. Or come back alive.

And if they let you pass, you will not walk in the open streets. You will need your back to be against the nearest wall you have to walk alongside, and probably walk sideways. Because if none is shooting at you, stray bullets are still real and equally lethal. And when you reach the rumoured water source, you will not be alone, a fact that makes you and all those you will find there vulnerable. A crowd, however small, is an obvious and easy targe. If water there is, let’s skip talking about how you get it back home.

And for those who would argue that even war has evolved, that there is such a thing as a modern war that is nothing like the above, let’s hear the version of war that you know. Debate is welcome. Well…to this, let's add drones, biological weapons and other kinds of more devastating war tools, the picture of an actual war will simply get bleaker.

For now, you and I are being asked to stay home, wash our hands often, wear a mask when we go out only for essentials such as food and medical supplies or services, and simply act as if we already carry the virus and can infect the next person if we are not careful. In the name of the thousands who still have to go to work to protect us or make sure that disruptions to our lives are limited, let’s take this seriously.

For some of us, internet will actually get better, more TV channels will be open for free or for less, and those who can afford data and subscriptions will often have a sense of bonding with family while watching favorite shows or taking part in weird internet challenges.

When we say war, we are not comparing the same thing, so it is a pointless comparison for the majority of us. However, this will still be devastating. The World Food Programme is already sounding alarm bells. Small businesses will be obliterated, job losses and insufficient state financial instruments to help are already a reality. And it is OK to feel anxious.

Maybe, just maybe, having global war-like devastation without an actual war is a global blessing. One that, if fully embraced, can catapult the world into another realm of togetherness. An opportunity to put meaning to our do-good intentions. Because never before has it been so obvious that your actions affect the next person, whether you know them or not.

While on lockdown, you may already have figured out how to cut or do your own hair, or how to manage your house chores while working from home, which may be a lasting reality for many. But when this is all over, please go back to your barber or hairdresser, and call your house-help professional. Their livelihoods and those of their loved ones may depend on it. On you. [This test was first written and published on my Facebook page on April 10th 2020]