Confusion reigned between Thursday afternoon and Friday evening after the government announced and then backtracked on some of the latest containment measures.

On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne said that all those aged 65 and over, all pregnant women and people with certain chronic conditions have to stay inside at all costs, and so do those people who live in the same households.

These people were effectively told to go on lockdown, that they could not leave the house, not even to buy groceries, exercise or go to the bank.

Over the following 30 hours or so, the questions came flooding in and the media tried its hardest to get some replies, but clarifications were hard to come by and the information that was trickling out was often contradictory.

Then, on Friday evening, Prime Minister Robert Abela insisted that this was not a lockdown, and that the people who fall into these categories can, if they do not manage to find someone to help them, go out of the house for essential chores, as long as they exercise caution and observe social distancing rules.

Now, we know that the situation is fluid and decisions are being taken on a day by day basis, if not hour by hour. We are also aware that the people at the very top - our politicians and health chiefs, their advisors and their communications people - are working under a huge strain and have barely had time to sleep over the past three weeks.

But it is of paramount importance that measures that affect a quarter of our population (in this case more, since many relatives are also affected by these measures) are properly thought through and are communicated clearly from the get-go.

Many people are already struggling to keep up with the latest developments, even if the government is doing their best with information campaigns. The authorities need to make sure that the message is coming across clearly.

People also need to be given ample time to prepare when drastic measures are announced. The announcement, on Thursday, that people would have to go on lockdown as from Saturday morning led to a new round of panic buying, for example.

Many, including the Opposition, have interpreted Robert Abela’s comments on Friday as an attempt to undermine his number two. This is probably more of a case of miscommunication or partial backtracking, rather than political rivalry and, clearly, this is not the time to politicise the situation.

On the other hand, people need to learn to be proactive, and to have some patience. We must all understand that these are extraordinary circumstances and that there are no set guidelines for unprecedented situations like this.

More often than not, the answers to our questions are provided within a few hours.

Also, some people tend to expect the authorities to ensure that life is not disturbed in any way, when we all know that this is just not possible, that we will all be affected in more ways than one by this crisis.

We all have to accept the fact that the economy will be taking a huge blow, and that incomes will be affected. We must also accept that the restrictive measures that are being put in place are there for our own good, even if we do not like them.

Grumbling will not make the situation better. A few weeks ago, many people were calling on the government to shut down the borders and order a nationwide lockdown. Now, these same people are complaining because the most vulnerable people in society have been told to stay inside. So, which is it? Do we want to be safe or don’t we?

Slowly but surely, the right decisions are being taken. Measures to protect jobs and salaries have been introduced, even if some might think they are not enough, public gatherings have been banned and the authorities have also taken steps to ensure that there is no construction frenzy over the next few months.

We have to accept this new reality which has come upon us and stop playing the political game. Once again, we appeal to the authorities, who are doing a sterling job when it comes to fighting off the Coronavirus, to communicate better with the public, and to the public to be more understanding and have some patience.

We must all work together, because we are all in this together.