The Outbreak is a US movie that was produced in 1995. The actions in the film are highly similar to the situation currently witnessed with the Corona Virus. In the movie, a viral disease hits Cedar Creek, California’s small town, and several measures are put in place to stop the spread. COVID 19, however, started in Wuhan, a Chinese city, in 2020. COVID 19 and the activities in Outbreak are similar in how they spread and the people’s reaction to the situation; however, the speed at which they claim lives is different.
The main similarity between COVID 19 and the things that occurred in the Outbreak is how the diseases spread. Both COVID 19 and the film’s virus disease are highly contagious, and they are transmitted through close body contacts. For instance, in the movie, many people contract the infection in the theatre room. Similarly, social gatherings such as churches and sports activities were banned due to the Coronavirus.
Secondly, governments put rules to contain the spread, but people ignore the measures laid in place to curb the disease’s spread. A family is bombed in Outbreak because they are fleeing the quarantine areas (Garber, 2020). Similarly, many people across the globe ignored the governments’ measure, and in most cases, people were arrested by law enforcement agencies and fined. Therefore, respective states adopted measures that were deemed suitable for their nations to stop the spread, though some individuals ignored the restrictions.
However, COVID 19 differs from the Outbreak activities in the manner that it kills its victims. The viral disease in the movie claims the lives of the infected within a short period. COVID-19, however, takes long before it kills its victims. For instance, the victims start to experience the signs after 14 days. Additionally, individuals with underlying conditions are more likely to die than those who are medically fit.
Succinctly, the actions in Outbreak and the current COVID-19 situation portray some similarities though they differ in some aspects. The diseases are contagious and spread quickly in crowded places. Moreover, their spread is only controlled by isolating the infected patients. However, COVID-19 takes long before the symptoms are witnessed in the body. The viral disease in the film nevertheless shows signs within a short period.
Reference
Garber, M. (2020). The problem of the pandemic movie. The Atlantic. Web.