The coronavirus has now spread to over 75 countries worldwide, according to current data. Opinions vary widely across the internet, but one fact remains: almost no one has been left unaffected by this pandemic.
Pandemic Psychosis: From Panic to Art
The coronavirus has triggered a global butterfly effect. Every day brings fresh headlines, memes, and jokes across media and social platforms.
The intersection of fear, literature, and stockpiling.
Zombie Apocalypse Meets Coronavirus
The coronavirus has escalated into a full-blown global pandemic, threatening a worldwide crisis. Vivid images come to mind: a frozen Statue of Liberty, crumbling skyscrapers, empty European streets, overturned ships, and even cannibalism—a scene straight out of 'The Day After Tomorrow'.
“The habit of despair is far worse than despair itself”
Albert Camus
Remember the bunker craze of 2012? Everyone was preparing for the Mayan apocalypse on December 21, 2012. It seems every decade humanity needs an excuse to build a bunker—or a zombie-proof home. This isn't science fiction: Russian architects have developed a real project. Initially unrelated to the coronavirus, the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has multiplied interest sixfold since early 2020. Someone is making a tidy profit.
Bunker homes gain traction amid pandemic fears.
The Cyberhouse Project
The Cyberhouse, also known as Cyberdom, was conceived as a counterpart to Elon Musk's Cybertruck. It has been attracting clients from Spain and the United States. The coronavirus has fueled demand, and now 12 customers have placed orders, including some from hard-hit Italy.
“Due to the large number of orders around the world, the bunker house has turned from a one-time history into an architectural style. Its main feature is the desire of the owner of this property to be protected from aggressive external influences. ”
Alex Vyzhevsky
(chief architect of Modern House)
Cyberdom: A bunker designed for modern threats.
Cyberdom's Italian Edition
Architects have even developed a version tailored for Italy. Features include monolithic concrete, heavy-duty steel, bulletproof glass, and radiation and microbiological protection—and that's not even the most impressive part. It's hard to imagine what else the designers have included. Cyberdom is essentially a bunker for doomsday preppers, but with a stylish, multifunctional upgrade. We're now prepared for anything from zombies to another Chernobyl. Price: a Cyberdom for 6–7 people costs just over $84,000.
Coronavirus in Italy: A bunker boom.
Stockpiling Essentials: Buckwheat, Salt, Kerosene, and Matches
Meanwhile, ordinary people not investing in bunkers are stockpiling survival essentials. Don't forget your apocalypse shopping list: buckwheat, matches, kerosene, crackers, and now antiseptics and face masks. What's in your coronavirus basket? The panic over buckwheat, onions, and salt is just one symptom. More troubling is how this psychosis is dehumanizing people: in the US and Russia, attacks on individuals of Asian descent have increased.
Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories
Freemasons, secret societies, the Bilderberg Group—ring any bells? The coronavirus and its media frenzy have revived countless conspiracy theories. Is it a biological weapon that leaked from a Chinese lab? Or a deliberate plot to destabilize Europe, the US, and trigger a global crisis? With the migrant situation and Erdogan's moves, it's easy to suspect a worldwide conspiracy.
Conspiracy theories flourish during the pandemic.
Yet there are genuine grounds for alarm:
- Italy and many other countries have canceled public events, such as theater and opera shows.
- Schools and universities are shut down, and companies are enforcing quarantines.
- Central banks can no longer lure people with cheap loans; consumers are purchasing medications instead of smartphones.
- Due to the coronavirus, China's coal consumption—a key economic driver—has dropped by 38% compared to 2019.
- Flight cancellations across Pacific routes have left nearly 200,000 containers stranded in ports.
- Transport companies are losing $350 million daily, according to Danish analytics firm Sea-Intelligence.
- Global oil prices are plummeting.
- Currency exchange rates are falling.
- The result is a 1.5% decline in global GDP.
COVID-19 and the Plague: A Literary Lesson
Warning: the coronavirus is boosting book sales! The virus is encouraging reading. At least one silver lining: people are shifting from social media to books. The quintessential read for the coronavirus era? Albert Camus' 'The Plague'. You might recall an old joke:
– And what books would you take with you to a desert island?
“Well … I would take Proust, Blanchot, Marquez and Baudelaire.” And you?
– I would grab books on agriculture, a botanical atlas and a medical guide. And you will die.
Camus' 'The Plague' sees a sales surge.
Now for the numbers! Since January, Folio Publishing House has sold nearly 2,000 copies of 'The Plague'. In January 2019, only 450 copies were sold. Sales in France and Italy have tripled. Not bad!
Sales of Camus' classic triple in France and Italy.
Life continues, and we must endure!
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