It is a question for all of us how to position ourselves in relation to the coronavirus, the problems of isolation and the other difficulties that arise from such a situation. And, more importantly still, how we will talk to those close to us, especially children, to colleagues, and finally in public, about this problem, which creates numerous restrictions and causes numerous problems and fears concerning the nearer and more distant future.

The first and most important thing is  never to be afraid. Fear spoils our mood, which predisposes us to fall ill more easily. For the body to overcome infection, the spirit must be strong.

Albert Camus wrote the famous novel "The Plague". What is less well known is that he also wrote two shorter works, Lessons and Speeches, on the outbreak of plague, intended for medical staff and all those confronted with the problem of plague.

For us, the "psychological part" of his address on the illness is highly significant, and can help everyone in working out how to position themselves in relation to the coronavirus, the problems of isolation and the other difficulties arising from such a situation. And, more importantly still, how we will talk to those close to us, especially children, to colleagues, and especially in public, about this problem, which creates numerous restrictions and causes numerous problems and fears concerning the nearer and more distant future.

"There is no individual, says an ancient author, who can allow himself to touch anything defiled in an area  where the plague holds sway".

There is no place within us that we do not need to cleanse, even if it lies hidden in the most secret corner of the heart, so that we may give ourselves the small opportunities that remain to us. This holds especially true for doctors (medical staff), who are closest to the contagion, and therefore also most suspected of spreading it. It is necessary, then, that all those who are close to it become an example to everyone else.

The first and most important thing is  never to be afraid. Fear spoils our mood, which predisposes us to fall ill more easily. For the body to overcome infection, the spirit must be strong. There is no fear other than that of the final end, for pain itself is passing. You, then, who are fighting against the plague (the contagion), must steel yourselves against the thought of death and make your peace with it first, so that you may be able to face the reality of the plague. If you are victorious in this matter, you will always be victorious, and you will stand smiling in the very midst of the terror of the plague. You may conclude that you need to be philosophers.

You need to be sober in all things, not chaste and naive,  which would be excessive. Take care of your good spirits, so that sadness does not gain the upper hand and prepare the body for illness. There is nothing better, for this purpose, than to take, in reasonable measure, a little wine, in order to ease the anxiety caused by the thought of the plague.

Above all, take care of moderation, which is the first enemy of the plague and man's natural law. Nemesis is not, as you were told at school, the goddess of revenge, but of moderation. The plague comes from excess. It is itself excess, and does not know how to restrain itself. Remember that, if you want to fight it wisely! Do not believe Thucydides when he speaks of the plague in Athens and says that the doctors could not help, because for the first time they were treating a disease they did not know.

You must become masters of yourselves. Know, for instance, how to carry out the rule you have chosen, such as isolation and quarantine.

Do not desire to break the rule, and do not forget the common good.

Do not make exceptions to the rules while they are in force, even if your heart urges you otherwise. You are asked to forget, a little, who you are (how you are used to living), while at the same time never forgetting what is asked of you. That is the rule of quiet dignity.

Armed with these means and such virtues, there is nothing left for you but to avoid weariness and keep your imagination fresh. Never, never grow accustomed to watching people die like flies, as happens in our streets today. And as has always happened since Athens, when the plague first got its name, and onward. Never come into contact with those corpses, from which even birds of prey draw back, so as to avoid infection. And you will go on resisting that terrible confusion, in which those who refuse to care for others die alone, while those who sacrifice themselves perish among the crowd; where joy no longer has its natural worth, nor merit its meaning; where people dance around graves; where a man casts off the person he loves, only so as not to pass the illness on to her; where the burden of the crime is carried not by the criminal, but by the poor, disoriented victim who becomes one in a moment of fear.

A calm soul remains the firmest. Stand firm before this alien tyranny. Do not serve that religion (of the disease of infection), as old as the oldest cults.

You must often reflect on your own ignorance, so as to make sure you are taking care of moderation, as the only thing that holds sway over a calamity such as this.

It goes without saying that none of this is easy. Despite your protective masks and other means, despite the great courage and steadfastness of your efforts, a day will come when  you will no longer be able to bear this city full of agony. A day will come when you will want to cry out because of the fear and pain of everyone around you. On that day there will no longer be any remedy that could be offered to you, other than compassion, which is the sister of ignorance.