This is apropos a Business Recorder editorial "Need for better social messaging" carried by the newspaper on Sunday. I fully agree with newspaper's conclusion that "The cost of laxity is unthinkable and the best bet against the lethal virus, it bears repeating, is social distancing. The message should be constantly drummed into heads. An effective way of conveying it is for the leaders to show by example what is expected of the people. They need to be more conscious of this responsibility while appearing in public for the performance of their duties."

It is, however, quite unfortunate that many people are still not taking the challenge of Covid-19 challenge seriously. Social distancing is one of the key steps that can effectively contain the spread of this deadly virus. Western Europe and the US in particular have been paying an extraordinary price for failing to embrace the concept of social distancing in the initial weeks of coronavirus outbreak.