The COVID-19 disease is caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus. It spread, it captured, and it killed. What was required were across-the-globe leadership qualities to take quick decisions, initiate immediate actions, and implement lessons already learnt from the past public health crises. Instead, we had leaders, who believed more in faith, both religious and personal, as Alam Srinivas explores in the first article on faith, free will, and determinism. Coupled with this mindset was the failure of the Indian administration to act and react. Even as the WHO flagged the global threat level to “very high” on February 28, the Indian government lost valuable time in gearing up to the threat, says Vivek Mukherji. We also explore the damning impact of COVID-19 on specific industries. Gopinath Menon, a veteran in advertising, says that the sector is looking down the barrel, which shockingly does not have a safety net. If the crisis lasts beyond May in India and other parts of the world, one can safely write an obituary of the aviation industry, as it exists today. Bankruptcies, shutdowns, and closures will become the norm.