Russian Olympic curler Anna Sidorova has urged people to listen to the coronavirus experts while pondering a series of “unanswered questions” about the pandemic.
Sidorva, who skippered her country at the Sochi 2014 Games and who has a host of World and European Championship medals to her name, took to Instagram to ask the big questions that appear to be bothering her as the world grapples with Covid-19.
“Where is the truth? Who to believe?!” Sidorova began the message, which was accompanied by a picture of herself gazing thoughtfully out of the window as a bath robe slips from her shoulder.
“On TV they continually shout about ‘self-isolation’ of the sick, people are gradually going crazy, losing businesses and jobs, some people simply have no money for food.
“Across the world there are strikes [protests], in some places robberies and thefts are already starting.”
The 29-year-old curler then referenced theories that the virus is in reality no more deadly than pneumonia or the flu, saying: “Independent doctors say many more people died from regular pneumonia last year from January to April than now, even with the virus.
“Then why all the hype? How will pulling military forces help in the fight against the epidemic ?!
“If all this isn’t true, then what happened in China and Italy? Why are so many health workers asking people to stay home?
“So many terrible images, so many deaths, so much grief…
“Why are some countries not in quarantine [lockdown]? And those who are introduce a state of emergency, unlike us.
“When will it all end?” ⠀
Sidorova concluded her coronavirus contemplations by urging her fans to listen to people with direct knowledge of the situation, rather than just those who have “read something on the Internet or seen something on TV.”
“Everyone has a million questions and all these questions are unanswered, the Internet and television will soon burst from the flow of ABSOLUTELY different information,” she said. ⠀
“First of all, I ask those who care about what happens, who know something firsthand, who are ‘inside’ the system or who have cases of illness nearby, to express their opinions, not just someone on the Internet who has read or seen something on TV.” ⠀
She signed off by writing: “People, what’s going on with the world, where is everything heading?!”
Coronavirus cases in Russia currently stood at just over 87,000 in Russia as of Monday, with 794 confirmed deaths.
As with her fellow Russians, the Moscow-born Sidorova has been observing lockdown rules, sharing footage of her home workouts. She has also issued a message of thanks to healthcare workers at the frontline of the battle with the deadly disease.
Sidorova is far from the only Russian athlete to ponder broader coronavirus questions during the pandemic – although some have taken their input to unexpected places.
That includes former tennis star Marat Safin, who somewhat outlandishly suggested that the whole situation was merely a pretext for the powers that be to implant people with electronic chips.
