Part of the fear surrounding COVID-19 stems from the fact that its transmission is invisible to us. Unless you take a test, it’s hard to know if you actually have it — and depending on where you are, a test might not be all that easy to procure.
That’s why people are being told to shelter in place. We’re all acting as though we are infected (practicing social distancing, avoiding unnecessary travel, going “abroad” only for necessities) so that we limit the chances that we catch it from someone else and spread it without knowing it.
The virus is no respecter of persons and can infect old and young, rich and poor, healthy and immunocompromised. Even having a lot of money and prestige can’t keep you from getting it, though it can certainly help with care once it is contracted.
It came as a shock to some, then, when Prince Charles’ office announced on March 25 that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
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Thankfully, his experience was self-described as “mild,” and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, tested negative for the virus (though she went into — and remains in — self-isolation for the time being).
On Wednesday, Charles shared a message with the world about his experience, how vital health care workers are, and how though this is a difficult time, it, too, shall pass.
“A message from The Prince of Wales,” the Clarence House Instagram account shared. “As Patron of Age UK, The Prince of Wales shares a message on the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the older members of the community.”
“Having recently gone through the process of contracting this coronavirus, luckily with relatively mild symptoms, I now find myself on the other side of the illness but still in no less a state of social distance and general isolation,” the prince said in the video shared on Instagram.
“As we are all learning, this is a strange, frustrating and often distressing experience when the presence of family and friends is no longer possible and the normal structures of life are suddenly removed,” Charles said.
“At such an unprecedented and anxious time in all our lives, my wife and I are thinking particularly of all those who have lost their loved ones in such very difficult and abnormal circumstances, and of those having to endure sickness, isolation and loneliness. … Our hearts go out to all those older people throughout this country who are now experiencing great difficulty.”
However, he noted that “there are truly wonderful neighbors, individuals and groups of volunteers who are providing ceaseless care and attention to those most at risk, and that all this network of selfless assistance is, in itself, helping to provide vital support and reassurance to the hard-pressed professional services.”
“As a nation,” Charles said, “we are faced by a profoundly challenging situation, which we are only too aware threatens the livelihoods, businesses and welfare of millions of our fellow citizens. None of us can say when this will end, but end it will.
“Until it does, let us try and live with hope and, with faith in ourselves and each other, look forward to better times to come.”
According to Fox News, “Clarence House has confirmed today that, having consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation,” as conveyed by a representative’s emailed statement.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
