I don’t know about you, but it is of no consolation or comfort to me to read that behind almost every coronavirus death was a person with underlying health conditions. The real tragedy of all this is that the poor souls would still be alive today were it not for Covid-19. And worse still for the family they left behind who were unable to accompany their loved one in the final journey.
The impact of the Coronavirus outbreak has been felt mainly in the nursing homes where the number of deaths is rising daily. For who wouldn’t have underlying health conditions in the sunset of their lives? As expected, the news of the spike in recent weeks was greeted with alarm by anxious relatives who are demanding that the welfare of the elderly people must be a priority because they are the ones who are mostly at risk.
As the new cases of infection remain stubbornly in double digits nobody in authority seems to be held accountable for what went wrong. Is the same authority just going to sit there without offering any solutions while our senior citizens continue to drop like flies? It is unbelievable how the health of the residents in some of the nursing homes has suddenly gone downhill with hardly any signs of recovery.
For starters, the government must acknowledge that the Covid-19 situation has spiralled out of control and does not look like it’s going to reduce any time soon. The prime minister has gone into hiding and avoids any association with Covid-19 like the plague, including giving answers to legitimate questions underlining the worries and anxieties of the citizens of the country he leads.
Meanwhile his early declaration of a faux victory over the pandemic has come back to haunt him. But he continues to sweep the problem under the carpet to avoid further embarrassment, confusing arrogant indifference with real leadership. If Covid-19 is pushing to country towards the edge of a health disaster, now is the time to take the bull by the horns and deal with the problem.
Indeed, a problem shared is a problem halved. This country has always prided itself on the expertise of its medical professionals. So why not let them have their say and allow them to work in tandem with independent experts on the economy. Both sides will surely stand their ground in their arguments. And if they truly have the nation’s wellbeing at heart both will also agree that we have to get this right. Who knows, the government might even let them have the last word on the subject.
With the right people on board, we may start to address the incongruence surrounding the Covid-19 measures. For example, on the eve of their opening, we haven’t quite agreed on how our schools should function during the new normal. But we seem to be quite sure that we can go ahead with the organisation of Notte Bianca, albeit spread over two months and with reduced crowds to minimise the risk of infection. Go figure!
With the right people on board taking the right decisions, we may be spared from wasting more taxpayers’ money on consultancy fees paid out to the usual suspects whose only qualification is to be well-connected to friends in high places. With the right people on board we may finally rest assured that concerns about our nation’s health and economic wellbeing are truly behind us.
It sounds like a romantic vision of Utopia based entirely on wishful thinking. In reality it is an earnest plea for this country not to continue to back down on its moral values, Christian beliefs or principles that are notably absent. It is a dreadful time indeed for those of us who believe that people in positions of power and influence should be governed by the same standards of decency and integrity with which we conduct our own lives.
Judging by the hateful comments in the social media regarding the illegal immigrants, lost in the sea that sealed their fate forever and, of late, the elderly victims of Covid-19, some of us have already lost the important value of respect for human life. As the rules crash down around us, we need to reset our standards by raising the bar. And perhaps by reigniting a serious public debate about the values and principles by which we wish to live.
Our nation is at the crossroads where a deep reflection on the direction of our policies should be considered an urgent matter. More importantly, what we need right now is a moral, ethical, and honest leader whose words and actions we can trust. One who can pick up the pieces of our country’s tattered reputation and restore dignity to this godforsaken island and its people. Are we asking too much?