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Learning to live with Covid-19

By Sonu Shivdasani
As lockdowns go, we mustn’t complain. My wife, Eva, and I have been marooned on Soneva Fushi — the luxury resort we own in the Maldives — for the past four months, alongside some 70 foreign guests, who stayed on as the country closed its borders, rather than risk going back home. Free to roam our castaway island paradise, life tends to revolve around morning yoga, afternoon swims, and sunset cocktails overlooking the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.
The other day, as I was taking my swim in the lagoon, I came eyeball-to-eyeball with a two-metre-long reef shark. In my twenty-five years living on Soneva Fushi, I have never seen such a big shark swimming so close to shore. In other parts of the world, lockdowns have led to goats, swans and wild boar taking over village greens and town centres. In the Maldives, it’s the (harmless) sharks, dolphins and manta rays that are enjoying a holiday without humans.
As enjoyable as my lockdown has been, it is surely time for it to come to an end. Very few have been as fortunate as I. For most people, in the Maldives and other countries that imposed drastic restrictions to contain the virus, the economic and social costs of being locked down have been terribly high.
Moreover, as the weeks pass, and our understanding of Covid-19 improves, it is clear that, while potentially lethal for older people and those with underlying health complications, for healthy, younger people, the chance of dying from the virus is vanishingly small. In badly hit parts of New York City, for instance, where infection rates were as high as 25 per cent, for those under 45 years the survival rate was 99.98 per cent.
As new information pours in from around the world, and we develop a more nuanced understanding of Covid-19, our measures to control the virus must also become more sophisticated. General lockdowns and international border closures – which are devastating huge chunks of the economy, and the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people – don’t make sense, when rapid testing, contract tracing, and good hygiene are so effective at preventing the virus’s spread — and when the virus poses such a tiny threat to young and middle-aged people.
The greatest fear is fear itself.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles to easing the lockdown is fear. The world’s newspapers and TV stations have gorged on the coronavirus, producing blanket coverage of mortality rates and other frightening details. Not surprisingly, the ‘danger indicator’ that sits in the left side of our brains remains on high alert. Like a thermometer, once the danger indicator rises, it takes a lot of shaking with facts and reason to bring it back down.
To quote Hans Rosling: “We need to learn to control our drama intake. Uncontrolled, our appetite for the dramatic goes too far, prevents us from seeing the world as it is, and leads us terribly astray.”
Here are some facts to reduce our intake of drama, and temper our fears of Covid-19:
- Due to a misunderstanding of the true extent of the infection in China, initial projections of a 3-5 per cent fatality rate were far too high.
- Many countries vastly overstated their likely number of deaths. Uppsala University in Sweden, for instance, predicted 90,000 deaths in one month, but Sweden has had a total of 4,800 virus deaths to date.
- Likewise, on the 29 March, Columbia University issued a report highlighting a need for 136,000 hospital beds in New York City. In the end, 12,000 sufficed.
- According to recent research by the United States Biodefence and Countermeasures Centre, the half-life of the Covid-19 virus in mild conditions such as 75oF and 25 per cent humidity is 18 hours. But when the temperature rises to 95oF and the humidity rate increases to 80 per cent (conditions found in the Maldives and other tropical countries), the half-life reduces to 1 hour.
- According to the United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC), there are no documented cases of a person becoming infected from a surface contaminated with Covid-19. Yet, every hotel and resort mini-film I have watched about reopening – including our own – has footage of an employee diligently wiping down surfaces.
- A Hong Kong study, involving an analysis of 7,324 cases in China, identified 318 distinct outbreaks, all but one of which occurred indoors. This suggests the risk of catching Covid-19 outdoors is low.
I attach a graph produced by Sir David Spiegelhalter of Imperial College, London.

Prof. Spiegelhalter highlights in the graph that coronavirus roughly doubles your chance of death once you hit around 40. While that might sound scary, we have to bear in mind that the risk of death for those under 45 or so is extremely low – 0.1 per cent per year. A 40-year-old with coronavirus therefore has a risk of death of about 0.2 per cent, rather than 0.1 per cent.
There has been much controversy over the Swedish approach to the virus, which involved far less restrictive measures compared with other European countries. The below table, from Worldometer last week, shows that Sweden suffered lower deaths per capita than countries that enforced strict lockdowns.

Our understanding of, and knowledge of how to treat the virus has evolved considerably since those dark days at the beginning of the year:
There have been breakthroughs in treating Covid-19 by the medical world: Gilead with Remdesivir, and the Dana-Farber using Ibrutinib which avoided cancer patients from needing to be hospitalised.
There is also the example of my Oncologist, Dr Abdul Kadir Slocum (I was diagnosed with stage-four cancer at the end of 2018. Dr Slocum cured me by traditional chemotherapy, alternate wellness remedies.
As Dr. Slocum recently wrote to us:
“I’m not a frontline Covid physician but unfortunately when some of our cancer patients got Covid I treated them together with my colleagues. We used anti-coagulants, antibiotics, and anti-virals as conventional therapeutics together with high dose vitamin C, Andrographis, thyme extract etc. as complementary therapies and all of our patients have gotten better with such treatment.”
The low fatality rate for those who are healthy and not old, the limitations of the virus’s spread, and the improvements in testing and treatment, means that we have the opportunity to return to (almost) normal, albeit with robust measures in place to protect vulnerable groups.
The importance of protecting vulnerable groups should not be taken lightly. Let me flash back to 1979, when I was 13. My morning ritual with my father was to drive to the local tennis club and play a game before breakfast. On that particular morning, halfway through play, my father sat down, short of breath. He asked me to practice against the wall while he recovered his breath. An hour later, he died of a heart attack. To this day, I wonder whether if we had skipped that morning ritual, he wouldn’t have died. The worry that one might have had an impact on reducing the life of one’s parent is something that I would not want to wish on anyone else. We must not make a similar mistake over coronavirus, as we reopen our economies we must consider adequate protection for older and vulnerable people.
How do we start on the road to recovery? To start with, we should maintain the personal hygiene habits that the virus has taught us, such as frequently washing hands, and following the traditional Asian courtesy of wearing a mask if you feel unwell. These habits will also reduce the incidence of other viruses such as seasonal flus and colds.
Above all, new investments in health infrastructure put in place over the past 12 weeks, such as more hospital capacity, extensive and rapid testing, and sophisticated contact tracing, means that blunt control tools, such as lockdowns, can now be relaxed before they destroy ever larger parts of the economy.
Then, we just need to work on our fear, which, in the final analysis, may have caused more damage than the virus itself.
Editor’s Note: This op-ed was originally published on Linkedin by Sonu Shivdasani. Sonu is the founder and CEO of Soneva, which owns luxury resorts Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani in the Maldives, and Soneva Kiri in Thailand.
Featured
SO/ Maldives unveils restorative wellness journey with Holistic Healer Karan Kumar

SO/ Maldives, the avant-garde private island retreat nestled in the Emboodhoo Lagoon, has announced a deeply restorative wellness journey for the wet season. This immersive experience is spearheaded by renowned Certified Holistic Healer, Karan Kumar, in collaboration with the resort’s resident wellness team.
Located just 15 minutes by speedboat from Malé International Airport, SO/ Maldives blends high fashion with holistic living, offering a bold and stylish take on island luxury. The resort comprises 80 individually designed villas—ranging from beachfront sanctuaries to overwater havens—all boasting panoramic views, complete privacy, and vibrant marine surroundings. Every element of the property is curated to appeal to modern travelers seeking indulgence, creativity, and connection.
At the heart of the resort lies the SO/ Wellness Camp, a sanctuary where cutting-edge design meets nature to provide a transformative escape. More than a traditional spa, this tranquil retreat delivers a full-body and mind experience. Guests are invited to unwind in contemporary, organic-inspired treatment rooms featuring amenities such as a Vichy rainforest shower, steam and sauna rooms, and a state-of-the-art fitness center with sweeping ocean views. The spa’s architectural design is inspired by the gentle movement of water and the island’s natural contours, creating a space that is simultaneously grounding and ethereal.
Central to the wellness offering is a curated selection of therapies that balance ancient practices with modern innovation. Programming includes sound therapy using full moon singing bowls, high-tech facials that combine astrology with skincare, and other bespoke rituals designed to restore and inspire. Whether seeking deep relaxation or a revitalizing boost, SO/ Spa offers guests a chance to reconnect with themselves in an environment that’s as stylish as it is serene.
As part of this season’s programming, guests can access personalised healing sessions at the SO/ Wellness Centre led by Karan Kumar. With over six years of experience, Kumar brings together Ayurveda, Reiki, Energy Healing, and mind-body therapies in a powerful integrative approach. His one-on-one sessions aim to address physical pain, emotional trauma, and energetic imbalances while unlocking each guest’s potential for joy, clarity, and inner strength.
Each session is intuitively tailored, creating a compassionate space for healing and introspection. Guests are encouraged to slow down, reconnect with their inner selves, and rediscover a vibrant sense of balance and wellness.
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Yoga Day marked with soulful island practice at Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives

In honour of International Yoga Day, Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives hosted a serene yoga session on its pool deck, inviting both in-house guests and resort colleagues to begin their day with mindfulness, movement, and meaning. Set against the tranquil backdrop of the Indian Ocean, the session offered participants a chance to embrace the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of yoga in a uniquely immersive natural setting.
Led by resident yoga instructor Malvika Pant, the morning session encouraged attendees to step away from their daily routines and reconnect with themselves through breathwork and gentle movement. “Yoga isn’t just a practice,” said Malvika. “It’s a way of returning to yourself. Here at Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives, with the sea breeze in your hair and the sound of the waves close by, even a few mindful stretches can feel like a profound reset. Nature supports the journey inward.”
The session drew participants from around the world, including both seasoned yoga enthusiasts and first-time practitioners. One guest shared, “I’ve done yoga before, but this was different—more peaceful, more connected. Doing sun salutations with the ocean in front of you and no distractions around is something I’ll carry with me long after I leave.”
Beyond marking the global celebration of yoga, the event showcased the resort’s ongoing commitment to wellness. Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives offers a variety of well-being experiences throughout the year, from early morning yoga flows and sunset meditations to personalised one-on-one sessions tailored to individual needs.
As holistic wellness continues to shape global travel trends, Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives provides a distinctive retreat where guests can reconnect with themselves and the natural world—one breath at a time.
Featured
Sun Siyam Iru Veli debuts Wellness in Motion Week with beach runs and expert-led yoga

Sun Siyam Iru Veli recently hosted its inaugural ‘Wellness in Motion Week,’ welcoming guests, local wellness leaders, and global experts for a curated celebration of movement, mindfulness, and holistic reconnection in the heart of the Maldives. The week-long programme attracted over 150 participants, offering a series of transformative events aimed at promoting deeper wellbeing in harmony with nature.
To commemorate Global Wellness Day, the island held the first-ever Maldives Wellness Run in partnership with iRunners Maldives on June 14th. Set against the stunning backdrop of the shoreline, the 4-kilometre beach run featured over 85 guests and team members, who completed an invigorating course around the island. Embracing the theme #ReconnectMagenta, participants were encouraged to connect with themselves, their community, and the surrounding environment through intentional movement and breath.
Central to the week were intimate Mind & Body sessions led by two international wellness experts. Marina Violinha, a holistic women’s health and fitness specialist, conducted a sunset yoga session and an interactive talk at Magoodhoo Beach, guiding attendees in exploring feminine strength and emotional balance. Meanwhile, Shane Seery, an award-winning executive health coach, offered functional movement coaching on the resort’s tennis courts, combining personalised support with outdoor flow.
On June 20th, 88 team members took part in a sunrise yoga session led by the resort’s spa team. This gathering aligned with the global theme ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health,’ highlighting the resort’s commitment to wellbeing as a shared value among both staff and guests.
The week concluded on International Yoga Day (June 21st) with a serene sunrise yoga and wellness ceremony at Turtle Beach. Facing the Indian Ocean, participants welcomed the day in stillness and unity.
Through Wellness in Motion Week, Sun Siyam Iru Veli underscored its dedication to offering meaningful, restorative experiences where nature, culture, and conscious living converge. From sunrise yoga sessions and barefoot beach runs to expert-led coaching and immersive spa rituals, the resort continues to redefine island wellness and rejuvenation.
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