The historical context about how society faced down similar challenges in our past can provide comfort today.
When Sydney faced the Spanish Influenza pandemic in 1919, many of the city’s doctors had not yet returned from WWI in Europe, so University of Sydney medical students were dispatched to care for patients. Similarly, today New York University is presently mobilising senior medical students to graduate early to help fight coronavirus in New York City. Students from Israel's medical schools are also helping.
On May 5, 1919, Sydney University closed for six weeks. Today’s school closures echo the past, but students and teachers are moving over to technological solutions.