FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. SITTING ROOM - DAY
Phone in hand, PETER is watching TV casually.
PETER (V.O.): US is blaming China for the pandemic. Politicians claim credits for gains. The populace are sensitive to losses. It's a fact that the world, US in particular, has suffered greatly.
As an ANCHOR (50s) is remarking, Peter follows attentively.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me see if his angle of interpretation is a fair one.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He says the arguments against China that it lets the coronvirus out of control also apply to US itself. He isn't favouring China. He points out that US politicians are passing the buck.
Peter checks a phone notification.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Here's a good question: How do you think the world would be different when the pendemic is over?
Something from the screen recaptures Peter's attention.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): US is drawing up plans to punish China - not repaying its debts too?
Act 2
INT. SITTING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The TV carries another program, capturing Peter's attention again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Bill Gates as a co-chair of his foundation appears on TV pretty regularly these days. What we have in common in communications is that we use lots body language.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I know how is it like. With body language, I wish to get more impact on the audience.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've learned from TV anchors that, years ago, Bill Gates identified the US's deficiency as being not ready for an epidemic.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The US pandemic statistics tell now. But...
Peter surfs the web to check out something. We see a horizonal bar chart of Global Health Security Index 2019. US ranked 1, UK 2 and France 3.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But the fact is that those ranked at the top three have performed disasterly worse.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What was South Korea's ranking?
Checking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): South Korea was no. 9. Both US and South Korea had their first confirmed coronvirus case on January 20, 2020.
Peter checks some statistics on his phone screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): South Korea's death toll is 248, and US, 63,019. Governance and public hygience culture must be very different.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): How about China?
Peter scrolls down his phone screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): China was ranked 51 and its death toll is at 4,633. It has acted reasonably well in the circumstances. With hindsight, it could have done better.
Peter continues to scroll down the screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): North Korea was third from the bottom, at 193.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Could Kim's absence have got anything to do with that?
A PERSON (60s) appears on TV.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Who's he?
Peter reads the subtitles on the TV screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, he's the UN Secretary-General, accusing UN Members for not acting together to solve the global problem!
Peter suppresses his lips.
Act 3
INT. SITTING ROOM -CONTINUOUS
Peter resumes his screen time.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The old normal is gone. The world will be very different from now. Abundance isn't a matter of course. People can go hungry.
Peter types on his phone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When they're hungry, they will risk their lives by urging for pre-mature reopening. Despite thousands of deaths per day, some US states will reopen soon, even ahead of Hong Kong.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Hong Kong has a total of 4 deaths and will only re-open on May 4.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's true that political boundaries and interests don't fit in with the global problems and their solutions. There's a need of global good governance.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If other countries have acted timely on containment and mitigation, the epidemic in China won't become a pandemic.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): UN's WHO only declared CONVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And it was only two days ago that US's Vice President refused to wear a mask while visiting health institutions. And it was only yesterday that he had changed his practice.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Despite the impending global recession and conflicts, I believe, China these days has the infrastructure to sustain itself even if it had to return to operate as the Middle Kingdom again.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Hong Kong was just a fishing village in the Middle Kingdom. But I am of the struggling kind and am ready to adapt to any change.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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