Laughter at the time of novel coronavirus: People are coping with humour in times of crisis

From lampooned lyrics to entertaining eats, humour joins the Covid-19 fight.

By ET Bureau | Mar 30, 2020, 08.29 AM IST

Even as scientists across the world race against time and each other to find a remedy for the novel coronavirus pandemic, those who endorse the bromide that laughter is the best medicine are pulling no punchlines to provide diversions from the seriousness of the situation, even if it’s only jest for a moment.

Doing the rounds on social media is a pastiche of the Beatles’ ‘I wanna hold your hand’ with the repurposed refrain, ‘I gotta wash my hands’, which seems to bring a spot of therapeutic cheer to all those having a hard day’s night of lockdown.

And in a risible riff on the lonely hearts club band, a spoof on an agony column ad purports to be from a “Single man with toilet rolls (who) would like to meet single woman with hand sanitiser for good clean fun”.

At the risk of being charged with literally bad taste, a baker in Dortmund, Germany, is purveying confectionery in the shape of the loo accessory in greatest demand. Appropriately enough, his wares are selling like hot cakes.

Meanwhile, a Hanoi chef has cooked up a hamburger made to look like a super-enlarged version of the crown-shaped virus, protruding spikes and all, and tinged with green tea, on the premise that one way to beat something scary is to eat it. Obviously, while there are things that ought not to be scoffed at, they can certainly symbolically be scoffed.

Keeping Your Phone Clean, And Safe, In The Time Of Coronavirus

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Holding hands, an affectionate gesture with romantic undertones, has become taboo in the time of the coronavirus. Handshakes, too, have been outlawed in the boardroom as well as stadiums - and after closing a deal, folks now pick up their phones and send each other formal emails.

Lovers in parks sit on benches, their hands skidding across smartphone screens, sending emoji-laced messages. However, exercising one’s primary tactile organs to communicate through gestures might not be as dangerous as using a mobile phone.