It’s only been a matter of weeks, but we’ve been inundated with news about the coronavirus. We’ve heard the cries of the beleaguered people in the city of Wuhan, punctuated with the laments of our fellow Singaporeans about the lack of surgical masks.

As updates on the number of people being infected worldwide appear with every casual glance at our social media feeds, perhaps it’s easy to look dispassionately at the statistics.

With 18 cases of the virus on our shores and no deaths as of yet, public sentiment has been controlled. After all, what are 18 non-fatal cases of the coronavirus compared to deaths from cancer, road accidents and even natural causes?

And by extension, if we were to speak in statistics, what are 10,000 cases in China when that is 0.0007% of the 1.4 billion Chinese population?

You see where I am going with this: In the daily updates we so feverishly watch for to see if we’re still doing okay as a nation, do we know how many who are suffering, and even dying out there, are healthcare workers, mothers, children, infants?

Do we realise that there are fellow human beings suffering on the other end of the statistics? What is that magical number that must be reached before we start to react with compassion instead of self-preservation?

WE MUST SEE MORE THAN STATS

Amid the grim, faceless numbers being reported daily, a certain humanity has emerged from the global crisis: Photos of young nurses who cut their own hair for a more secure seal in their hazmat suits, in order to serve on the frontlines of the disease. 

Reports of healthcare workers from all over China volunteering to work in Wuhan, saying goodbye to their families because of the uncertainty of ever seeing them again. These same healthcare workers could also be seeing deaths, losing not just the people they have been working tirelessly to save, but maybe even their fellow colleagues to infection.

And beyond the hospitals, there are other stories of courage and camaraderie – we’ve seen a stranger dropping by the police station with hundreds of masks for those working, Wuhan citizens shouting cheers together for public morale…

We don’t need 10,000 people to succumb to a mysterious virus for our hearts to be moved with compassion. Neither do we need to feel helpless from where we are, so far removed from the epicentre of what’s happening in Wuhan.

There is no magic number. We only need to start with one.

THIS IS OUR TEST OF HUMANITY

Last week, I learnt that an ex-classmate, a Singaporean who has lived in Suzhou for over 15 years, is stuck there because his flight back to Singapore was cancelled. His wife, a mainland Chinese, has also been trapped in Hunan due to the lockdown, as she had gone back to see her family for Chinese New Year. He is now fearful of the unreliable information on the situation at hand and their safety.

Around the same time, I learnt of another Chinese friend who returned to her hometown in Hubei with her husband and son to visit her parents but left hurriedly when the severity of the coronavirus escalated, just before the travel restrictions were imposed. Her family is safe and well back in Zhuhai, but she is worried for her relatives in Hubei as news of food shortages has started circulating.

When an ex-colleague who is a Chinese national and Singapore permanent resident landed safely in Singapore after visiting her family in China, I mentioned in jest that it was better to be a statistic in Singapore than in China. She replied that she would rather be a statistic in China if that meant being back with her parents and grandmother, as she was anxious about their well-being.

These three friends of mine are the ones I can have practical compassion for during this time. I may not be able to fly to the frontlines to help, but I can reach out and talk to those I know who are immediately affected in some way. I share news from outside of China with them, listen to their daily concerns and offer encouragement. Then I pray for them. 

As Christians, we have all felt the comforting touch of God and know how to cast all our worries onto Him so He can sustain us. This may be all we can share with others, and only to the few we know – but that’s enough. It only took one person for Jesus to be moved with compassion (Luke 7:13). 

Who are your “ones”?

My hope is that Singaporeans will spend just that little more time praying for the people suffering from the coronavirus, directly or indirectly. Reach out to anyone who might be affected by it, whether they have family in China or are fighting the virus in our local hospitals.

Start with just one.