DESPITE THIS PANDEMIC, WORLD EARTH DAY HAS ARRIVED.

With our sadness and anxiety about the worldwide covid-19 pandemic, how ironic that today is World Earth Day?  

Why is coronavirus called Covid-19?

In simple terms-COVID 19 stands for, Corona (CO) Virus (VI) Disease (D) and 19(2019) the year that the virus first hit. It was given this name by the World Health Organisation, who said: "Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatising."Experts have said that the name of a disease is instrumental during an outbreak.Before officially being named Covid-19, scientists were calling coronavirus '2019-nCoV', this was based on it being called novel coronavirus.

Celebrated around the world annually on April 22, the plan in 1970 - when it was created - was to demonstrate support for  environmental protection. This spring day now includes events co-ordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in more than 190 countries.

John McConnell

In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, the peace activist John McConnell ((1915-2012-) proposed a day to honour the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be celebrated on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere.

This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by the Burmese Secretary-General U Thant at the United Nations Congress.  A few weeks later, Gaylord Nelson, United States senator put forward a proposal to hold a nationwide environmental seminar on April 22, 1970. He hired a young activist, Denis Hayes, to be the National Coordinator. Nelson and Hayes renamed the event “Earth Day.” Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in recognition of his work. The first Earth Day was focused on the United States. 

In 1990, Denis Hayes, the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international and organized events in 141 nations. Numerous communities celebrate 'Earth Week' consisting of activities - focusing seven days on environmental issues - currently faced by the world.