The government on Saturday announced the first round of measures aimed at helping the business sector in the troubling times of the coronavirus.

Up until Saturday morning, it was being said that businesses were being left in the dark as to what happens next, and there were even questions surrounding who would foot the bill for the quarantine leave that all those who came from abroad over the past few days have to submit themselves to.

There is no easy solution to these issues, as businesses cannot be expected to bear the brunt alone, but the government is also not there to make up for every penny that the private sector loses in extraordinary and uncontrollable circumstances.

Perhaps there was a delay in announcing this first round of economic measures – which includes tax suspensions and incentives aimed at facilitating teleworking – because the topmost priority in the first few days was to deal with this crisis from a medical angle.

The first reactions by the social partners about the measures were largely positive, although they said that more needs to be done. On the other hand, Opposition Leader Adrian Delia went on television in the evening, saying that businesses are facing bankruptcy. At this juncture, the Opposition should support the government and reassure businesses that they will weather this crisis like they did in the past, rather than resort to scaremongering.

The looming question now is whether the government will stop all passenger flights and put the country in lockdown, like many unions are insisting.

The first one is not really an issue, since all passengers are now subject to screening and mandatory quarantine.

When it comes to a lockdown, however, it’s not that simple. Yes, our health is the topmost priority right now, but we must also realise that, should we declare a complete and total lockdown, the country will grind to a halt, and so will necessary services.

So first and foremost, we need to specify what kind of lockdown we are talking about. Will essential industries be exempt, will shops close down too and, if so, who will provide the food that we eat, the electricity and water that we consume? Who will pick up the waste bags? These are all issues that we need to think about and find a solution to, before we decide to barricade ourselves inside our own homes.

Perhaps the government is not explaining this well enough. It should. There might be good enough reasons to resist a lockdown for now, but we should be given the full picture, so that everyone can understand the reasons behind such a decision.

And while the authorities are doing their best to explain what the coronavirus is and how to avoid getting it, perhaps they should do more to explain to the more simple-minded among us that not everyone who sneezes has the coronavirus and not all foreign nationals in Malta are carrying disease.

We are sick of reading racist Facebook posts in which people are basically calling for the deportation of anyone who is not Maltese, written by people who do not seem to realise that many foreign nationals have been living here for years, and that not all of them have travelled abroad recently.

Stupidity and racism become intensify in times like these, and the ignorance needs to stop.