The Covid-19 has been the discussion on everybody’s lips since the start of this year. This is no surprise as the virus (oshishi egbe) which started in China has spread to every continent on the surface of the earth. Governments around the world are having a hard time tackling the disease as many have died, and there has been a negative impact on the economy with many people fearing that they will lose their jobs.
Below are some Etsako terms which are related to the coronavirus.

Akualo – face mask
With the rise of the coronavirus, people have been advised to use a facemask when when leaving the house to reduce the chances of catching the virus. The Etsako word for facemask; akualo, is formed from two words: ku which means to cover , and alo which means face.

Ivairosi– virus
This word, like many other technical words, is derived from English.
Ichinokhia-n’egbe – social distancing
People have been equally advised to stand at a distance of at least 3 metres when in public to reduce the chances of catching or spreading an infection. Ichinokhia n’egbe literally means to move away from each other.
Ikuarantini/Isoleshoni – quarantine/isolation
This is to lock a person away from others to prevent them from spreading the disease to healthy people. Quarantine is used for people who have been confirmed to have the disease, while isolation is used for those who are suspected to have the disease.
Isenta isoleshoni – isolation centre
Iguami n'o gase – disease outbreak
Amie – symptoms
Amwu/Infekshoni – infection
Derived from the verb mwu which means to catch.
Ishitoshowa – stay-at-home
People have been advised to sit at home to reduce the spread of the infection.
Iguese evholi – lockdown
Lockdowns were instituted all over the world in countries were the virus had spread to. Recently though, countries have begun to lift the lockdowns because of the effect it has on the economy. It has been argued that a lockdown is not the best approach to tackling the virus.
VHA SHITO SHI OWA. VHA KHA MOLI AMIE IVAIROSI IKORONA, VHA YAGUA VHA YE ASIBITU.