I see the past months as a movie storyline. It can be turned into a bona fide action movie, but I like to keep it simple. My story stars an elderly couple. This is not the normal Hollywood go-to age group for leading roles – but these are not normal times. 

Let’s zoom in on our heroes. In the true story, they strongly resemble my partner in life and me. In this Hollywood version, I prefer Harrison Ford and Meryl Streep.

It all starts on January 15, 2020. There  we are – correction – there they are, Meryl and Harrison, happily boarding a plane headed from Helsinki to sunny Gran Canaria.

Harrison takes the middle seat as they settle in the exit row. A gorgeous young lady arrives and takes the seat beside Harrison. Despite her top model looks, Harrison is not happy about this. She is clearly suffering from a bad case of the flu.

At the same time in China: Chinese officials convene to discuss the latest findings related to a new, deadly coronavirus that has been spreading in Wuhan. If the virus starts spreading more rapidly, Wuhan will soon have to be placed in effective quarantine. This  can not be kept secret, this will become world news.

Flashback to Milan: A top model (the one now sitting beside Harrison) walks the runway of one of the biggest fashion houses in Milan; one that is owned and staffed by Chinese, many from Wuhan.

Optional storyline: Since this is a very versatile storyline, feel free to to make it into an action movie complete with a Chinese lab from which the virus (intentionally or unintentionally, you decide) is allowed to escape among the general public. You can top it with an elaborate cover up. In this scenario, you might want to make Meryl a top epidemiologist, bring in a colleague (played by Tom Hanks), and have Harrison be the action hero. The trio could then go on to save the world from the virus after some unbelievable twists and turns of the plot.

But do we really need all that? This story is pretty unprecedented as is. Maybe we can build on pure human interest?

Back to Meryl and Harrison, still on the plane. While carefree witticisms fly between our unsuspecting lead couple, the background music ramps up the suspense for the viewers. Zoom in on the flu pills ingested by the top model in between cough attacks.

Las Palmas airport is packed with people, when Meryl and Harrison disembark. Viewers can almost feel the virus lurking in the shadows.

Meryl and Harrison can’t. At this stage they haven’t even heard of the coronavirus. They sightsee happily around Las Palmas, travel to neighbouring scenic towns, visit museums, meet up  with friends and enjoy the sand sculptures at Las Canteras beach. They are having a great time.

Cut to Meryl scrolling news sites on her phone on January 23: The breaking news are all about a new coronavirus doing the rounds in China. It’s deadly and there is no vaccine. Wuhan City is under quarantine. Within a week the lockdown expands to 56 million people in the province of Hubei.

Meryl can’t help but worry. This is such an unusual measure, even for China. What kind of virus are we talking about? WHO seems to have confirmed that a novel coronavirus is causing respiratory illness in Wuhan City already on January 12 and Thailand reported the first case outside of China the following day. This is not good news.

Harrison tells her to stop worrying. China is far away.

The following day Meryl complains of a headache. It has been plaguing her for several days, which is highly unusual. She hasn’t had a headache in years. A few days later she complains of some difficulties breathing and a slight pain in her chest. She laughs that this is something Harrison would normally complain about, not something she has experienced before. The next day she feels fine again and all is forgotten.

Later she will wonder about the top model and her own symptoms. Could she and Harrison already be immune, are they self-isolating in vain?

At the same time in Singapore:  On January 24, a British man leaves Singapore after attending a conference there. He flies to the French Alps and spends four days vacationing with friends in a ski chalet in southeast France. He doesn’t know at the time that he has been exposed to the virus in Singapore. He infects at least 9 people during his short stay in France.

Cut to Webasto’s headquarters in Germany:  On January 27, Bavarian health officials announce that one of Webasto’s employees has tested positive for the new coronavirus. The company quickly empties and cleans its offices, while company officials frantically track people that might have been exposed to the virus.

Later we will learn that this fast response may well have saved many lives.

Meryl is reminded of her old Webasto car heater as she reads the initial story. She continues to scour the Internet for all she can find on the coronavirus. Then the news she has feared arrive.

Cut to northern Finland: On January 29, Finland announces its first corona case, a Chinese tourist visiting Ivalo from Wuhan City. The wintry scenery shots from Ivalo are beautiful, the doctor looks tired.

Meryl  worries about her son and his family. They live in an area frequented by Chinese tourists because of the nearby, iconic Rock Church. Harrison finally starts following the corona news regularly too.

Despite her bad Spanish, Meryl buys several local newspapers. No cases have been registered in the Canary Islands to date. It still doesn’t hurt to buy some face masks in case the situation gets worse, she reckons. Surprisingly, Harrison is not opposed to the idea. Normally he would laugh outright.

Meryl wonders, if they should skip their planned week in Maspalomas, maybe even head home to Finland early. Harrison, being Harrison, sees no need to change plans. There is no reason to overreact.

On January 30, WHO finally declares a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The disease caused by the new coronavirus has yet to be named.

Cut to officials in various European countries scrambling to understand the virus and debating when and how to react to it.

Cut to La Gomera: A German man enters a vacation rental with his friends. They have travelled to La Gomera via Tenerife. He feels sick and decides to see a doctor. On January 31 he is tested positive. The coronavirus has officially arrived to the Canary Islands. It’s the first coronavirus case diagnosed in Spain.

Meryl and Harrison leave for Maspalomas. Meryl follows the situation on La Gomera intently. Everything seems fine. Five days have passed with no new cases on La Gomera or Tenerife.

On February 2, the Philippines report the first death outside of China, a Chinese man from Wuhan. By now disinfectants have arrived at the entries of hotel restaurants on Gran Canaria. Beyond that life goes on as usual, while new corona cases crop up around the world at an increasing pace.

After a relaxed week in Maspalomas, Meryl and Harrison return to Las Palmas. Zoom in on Meryl shopping relentlessly for more face masks. Suddenly, all Las Palmas’ pharmacies seem to have run out of face masks. Finally she finds some at an extortionate price. The price is so high that she decides not to mention it to Harrison. Later she wishes she had bought more.

On February 11, WHO announces a name for the new coronavirus disease:COVID-19.

On February 13,  Meryl and Harrison return to their home in Helsinki (a perfect location, if you want to emphasise the emerging dark undertones of the story;  Helsinki is cold and stark in February).

Meryl tries to discuss the coronavirus with her friends. Nobody seems to share her concern. A renowned Finnish doctor sends her a Worldometer-link. Flues come and go, people die all the time, he comforts. This is no different. When asked about the reactions of the financial markets, Meryl’s investment savvy friend echoes the same. Flu’s come and go, financial markets have their ups and downs, there is nothing unusual going on.

Meryl buys some more masks in late February. They are still easily available in Finnish pharmacies, but some weeks later the hospitals and care facilities will cry out for more face masks. Despite all the time that they have had to prepare, Finnish decision makers are still taken by surprise.

In March even Finland wakes up to the seriousness of the pandemic. Luckily social distancing comes naturally to the Finns.

On March 1, Finland still has only 5 diagnosed Covid-19 cases and no deaths, while Italy has 1,694  diagnosed cases and 34 deaths and the numbers keep rising at an alarming rate.

As March turns to April, the virus continues to wreak havoc all around the world. The body count keeps rising, the markets keep falling, harsher and harsher measures are taken to contain the rapid spreading of the disease.

Here you can take your pick of horrors to depict. You can zoom in on sacks after sacks of bodies awaiting burial in temporary containers in Italy, on businesses collapsing in Finland, on families dealing with self-isolation in various ways all over the world. You can take it to the extreme and show elderly people left to die of Covid-19 in an all but abandoned care facility in Quebec.

At this stage Meryl and Harrison are all out of witticisms. Gran Canaria is but a sunny memory, a time before the coronavirus. It feels like the world is built on sand and its foundations are faltering.

As April nears May, the first positive signs emerge. The case curve turns down in many countries, the death curve follows in its footsteps. Europe is ready to carefully lift restrictions. Finland will probably follow a few weeks later. The mood of the background music lightens.

Zoom in on Meryl and Harrison, finally reunited with their nearest and dearest in Kaivopuisto park after weeks of self-isolation. Researchers have at last concluded that the risks related to an outdoor meeting are minimal, if everyone is symptom free and the officially recommended social distance is kept between households.

As the credits roll, the camera zooms towards the horizon. Dark clouds are still hanging over the calm sea, but there is a ray of light.

No one knows when all this will be over; no one knows what it will cost us in the end. But hope springs eternal. Maybe this will help us build a better foundation for the future.