As both the annual budget and the new scholastic year loom, families and businesses are yearning for clarity. They need to know what to expect in the coming months of this COVID-19 era.

This newsroom has been receiving numerous queries from our readers, asking whether schools will really reopen at the end of next month, and about whether the COVID-19 wage supplement scheme will continue beyond September.

Now we know that these are not easy decisions to take – each one requires deep analysis of the current situation and an understanding of the consequences that such actions could have in the months and years to come. But we also understand that people need to plan ahead and cannot be left in the dark until the very last minute.

Let us start with education. There are two main factors to consider here: the first being the actual education given to our children and the second being the situation of working parents.

Some have argued that it is not safe to send children back to school; that since it is difficult to practice social distancing in the classroom, it is likely that many students will get infected. Others say, however, that keeping children at home for months on end is detrimental to their mental and social wellbeing.

Furthermore, working parents, particularly those with young children, are still in limbo as to whether they will be able to go to work come 28 September.

There are also question marks on school transport – will parents feel it is safe for their children to go to school on a minibus? Or will they decide to drive them to school themselves? If this is the case, how will this impact their work? How will it affect traffic?

Many teachers have also expressed concerns about returning to school, while others feel that proper education – the real experience – can only take place in the classroom.

The Education Ministry is currently discussing the guidelines, issued to it by the health authorities, with stakeholders. It is clear that some form of compromise needs to be reached. Going back to the old system is not viable, from a health perspective, but educating children at home is not really viable from an educational standpoint.

One hopes that the ongoing discussions are concluded swiftly and successfully so that parents can have some peace of mind and plan ahead.

Now to the economic angle. Many employers and business owners have been asking whether the COVID-19 wage supplement will be renewed in the 2021 budget.

It is by now obviously clear that many businesses would have foundered, and countless jobs would have been lost, had this assistance not been given.

But economists have also warned that the government coffers are being drained, and the wage supplement cannot be a permanent thing. In order for the government to be able to give financial assistance, the economic wheel must keep on turning, and this can only happen if enterprises adapt to the new normal and seek innovative ways of making business.

Many have already done that. This includes the catering sector, which has geared up towards delivery rather than inhouse dining. Others have not been so proactive. But there are some sectors whose business operations are not easy to adapt to this new situation.

It is natural for these business owners to expect some clarity; some form of idea as to what the situation will be like two, three months down the line. For if they stop receiving this financial assistance from the government, they might have to take drastic decisions. Both the Chamber of Commerce and the Malta Employers Association have told this newspaper today that stopping the supplement would be disastrous.

We are, of course, not saying that the government should announce its budget measures now, but it could surely give a direction to businesses and tell them whether the assistance will continue being given or not.

On a final note, it seems, from the daily cases reported over the past few days, that the situation is slowly being brought back under control.

We hope that we are nearing a situation where the number of daily cases becomes minimal again. It is of utmost importance, however, that once that happens, we do not repeat the mistakes made in June.

This time round, we must be prudent and not rush to remove all the restrictions again. If we do this, opening schools again will be much safer, and the economy would be able to start recovering at a slow but steady pace. This would help achieve a sustainable balance in this COVID-era that does not seem to be going away any time soon.