World in unchartered territory, virus has no borders: Nadella

March 22, 2020
Redmond (Washington State): The world is in ‘uncharted territory’ as novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic spreads but just as this virus has no borders, its cure will have no borders too, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on Sunday.

In an email sent to employees, Nadella said there is playbook for this deadly coronavirus that has killed over 11,000 and infected more than two lakh globally.

“Much is unknown, and I know how unsettling and uncertain this feels. Like many of you, there have been times over the past weeks where it has felt overwhelming and all-encompassing for me,” said Nadella.

“I worry about the health and safety of my family, my co-workers, and friends. My wife and I worry for her aging parents, who are far away from us in India,” said the Hyderabad-born CEO.

Washington State has seen COVID-19 cases rising up to 1,793 with 94 deaths, and most of those being reported from Kings County.

“One truth that brings me comfort is just as this virus has no borders, its cure will have no borders. We are all in this together as a global community,” Nadella stressed.

Deserted roads, empty superstores and fear in the air — this is not a scene out of a zombie movie but the current scenario in the bustling US city of Seattle that has a robust Indian-American community — now confined in their homes and praying for the situation to improve.

The first reported case of novel coronavirus in the US occurred in January in Seattle. The man, who returned from Wuhan, China, tested positive and later recovered after his quarantine in a hospital.

In the email, Nadella said that we are in times of great disruption and uncertainty that our ability to stay grounded in our sense of purpose and remain true to our identity is of the utmost importance.

“There’s no doubt that the workflow of our jobs is changing fast, with many of you doing so much of your work remotely for the first time, some while also caring for children at home,” Nadella noted, saying he himself is learning in the work from home scenario.

“I’m sharing a home office with my two teenage daughters and juggling between their eLearning schedules and my Teams meetings. There is no playbook for this and having that deep empathy and understanding for each other’s situations is needed now more than ever,” emphasised Nadella. IANS