In Denial?

Editorial

Few people would today think the government is handling the recent upsurge in Covid-19 cases well, a situation made more complicated with the Delta variant. Thus the increase in the number of deaths, and those infected or suspected to be infected as can be seen in the long queues at the testing centres these last few days. There are also indications that many cases and deaths are going undetected or unreported, or about which information is not being communicated to the public.

The reopening of our borders and the relaxed attitude towards the pandemic of so many of our citizens in public places, especially at beaches, have only made matters worse. Medical opinion is that Covid-19 is at full-blown epidemic stage in the country, that is, the disease is now widespread in the community amongst young and old. With the arrival of tourists the risk of further spread is definitely going to increase, as has been observed in other countries where there has been a general relaxation of Covid restrictions.

It would appear that the government had been in denial mode for quite some time, concerned more with the economy, in particular the tourism industry, than with the health of the population. What was widely suspected about the prevalence of Covid cases has now been finally acknowledged by the Prime Minister in his address to the nation last night, since he announced new Covid restrictions that will come into force as from today, Friday 12 November. These restrictions will cover activities in fitness centres; places of worship; religious events & ceremonies; weddings and funerals. The measures include limits on the number of people attending these venues, control of entry and exit, and recommendations as to vaccination and social distancing. The closure of educational establishments is already in place, and the number of attendees at social, religious and professional events has been brought down.

While it is true that panic must be avoided by being alarmist about the situation, the fact is that this package amounts to rather timid measures, and falls short of what is really needed to curb the further spread of the epidemic. In fact, paradoxically, many people were rather anticipating some stronger measures that could be more effective. For example, there was an anticipation if not actual expectation by a broad cross-section of the population – genuinely concerned about the worrying turn that the disease is taking – that there would be a return to shopping by alphabetical order at the supermarkets. It was even heard that this ought to have continued from the last time it was implemented – people had got quite accustomed to the pattern. The other expectation was the imposition of a curfew night-time till early morning, as well as closure on Sundays. These, it is felt, would have sent the right signals and be more effective in controlling the situation.

But, ‘government is government, and government decides.’ Government has decided. The least that one can expect now is that it does a closer monitoring and gives full support to those responsible for overseeing the enforcement of the measures to be implemented.

* Published in print edition on 12 November 2021