We ended the year in the same predicament as we had started it.

The Covid-19 pandemic is still raging, in Malta and in many other parts of the world. It is still the main topic of news bulletins. Some people have learnt to live with it more than others, but there is no doubt that it will take much longer to go away than what had been initially expected.

There were thoughts that it would have taken two years to eliminate, an idea that was probably based on the fact that the great influenza pandemic had been erased within that timeframe a century ago.

But our lifestyle has changed since then. The 1918-1920 pandemic had arrived at the end of a world war, with many countries needing to rebuild and populations stunned by the horrific episodes they had just survived. There were few who bothered to move from one city to another, even fewer from one country to the next. They did not have the means to, and transport options were limited.

Today, the world is “globalised”. Travelling for business or pleasure, almost non-existing at the time of the great influenza pandemic, today is part and parcel of our everyday life. So much so that many would say that the worst part of Covid-19 was the impact it had on travelling.

When the borders reopened after a few months of closure at the start of the pandemic, many took the “risk” of still going on holidays, in spite of the added inconveniences that the virus has brought about, not to mention the expenses. And they continue to take risks now too.

Interpretations

There are different interpretations of the Covid situation we are facing today when compared to the start of last year.

Some would argue that we are in a better position because of the vaccination drive. The jabs have certainly helped in reducing the effects of the virus on the person as well as cutting down on the number of people who require hospital treatment. People are still dying, but in lower numbers than we had in the pre-vaccination days.

The Maltese responded well to the encouragement by the health authorities to get vaccinated. We have one of the highest per capita take-ups in the world, with more than 90 per cent realising the importance of being immunised against the virus.

Others would then point out that the more recent surge in numbers is quite preoccupying. Over the past days, through the Christmas period, we registered record after record of new daily cases, which has inevitably pushed up the number of active cases on the island to new records too.

This means that the likelihood of coming in close contact with someone who is positive, probably without even knowing, is sharply on the rise too. It is also clear to see that the omicron variant is highly contagious.

The good thing about it is that, apparently, it is less powerful. But the fact that so many people are hit means that many more others are in quarantine which, in itself, has a ripple effect, not only in terms of health.

December

It must be said that, in most of its decisions taken at the start of the pandemic, the government was timely and correct. It seems a lifetime away (but it’s been just 20 months) that outlets, including restaurants, were shut down, the academic year ended early and the airport was closed in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. In those long weeks, the government seemed very much on the ball in taking the appropriate decisions.

But, as time went by, the government started losing control of the situation. Misleading comments such as “Malta has won the war against Covid” (June 2020), the re-opening of mass events too quickly and the slowdown in enforcement should not have happened, as all contributed to deepen and prolong the crisis.

And while it is understood – and appreciated – that the government immediately gave financial assistance to private companies and continues to do so right to this very day, there have been times when the balance between the economic interests and the health factor tipped very much in favour of the former, with the result that we lost what we had gained.

The government’s procrastination to introduce restrictions at the start of the December 2021, when it was evident that Malta was to be hit by another, bigger wave of cases, could only be interpreted as a reluctance to take measures that would have hit the economy.

The fact that it was December, traditionally a period of time for celebrations and gatherings, must have had a bearing on the way the government tackled the situation. The Malta Union of Midwives said the government had chosen the economy over health, as the pressure on the hospitals – including the staff there – increased. In fact, the number of people requiring hospital treatment multiplied in the period of time between early December and the end of the month. The Malta Employers Association also criticised the government for its lack of action, saying that it could lead to a serious economic slowdown in the first quarter of 2022.

The government knew what was coming. But all it did initially was to order people to (again) wear masks in public, when it is known that this is the least effective measure against the spread of the virus, as most people are out in the streets on their own. It was ironic that, according to the government’s instructions, people were obliged to wear a mask while they were alone in the street but, upon entering a closed space, where possibly people had gathered for a party, they could then remove it.

Perfect storm

The government waited too long. As other countries faced a fresh crisis, it was only a question of time that Malta would suffer the same fate. And the government realised this too, with Health Minister Chris Fearne saying on 12 December that Malta would be hit by a “perfect storm” – the onslaught of a new wave of Covid-19 cases, coupled with the influenza season.

So, if the government knew a “perfect storm” was approaching, why did it wait until the 23 December to announce some new measures? And why, then, were the measures put into force from the following Monday (27 December), and which were thereby not enforceable on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Did omicron take a break from infecting people on those days?

The restrictions announced on 23 December, apart from being too late, were also not enough to combat the spread of the virus.

In the meantime, all through December many social gatherings had taken place. Ministers themselves, and other politicians, were only too happy to hold their Christmas activities, proudly uploading photos on their social media accounts to tell us how popular they are and how successful their event was.

Many companies also held their staff parties, while weddings continued to take place in full blast, with photos and footage on the social media showing how all regulations were being flouted as people huddled together, faces touching, to take blessed selfies which, apparently, we cannot do without these days.

Given that the incubation period could spread over a number of days, it is possible that the big numbers we saw in the last two weeks of 2021 will be even bigger in these first two weeks of January.

Restrictions

We had far more restrictions when the number of daily and active cases was less than half of what they are these days.

The government and the health authorities defend themselves against this saying that the vaccination campaign, and its success, allows for less strict measures. They say that the number of people requiring hospital treatment is still low. They also say that a very low percentage of them then require intensive care.

They say that we should try to lead as near a normal life as much as possible. At the start of the campaign, we had been told that we had to learn to live in the “new normal”. We do not hear that phrase any more these days.

What we know is that the efforts being made are like trying to defend oneself from a hurricane by opening an umbrella.

Questions

There are a few questions that need answering.

For one thing, why is Superintendent Charmaine Gauci not being more “present” as the country battles the virus? She was on TV every day at the start of the pandemic, before being relegated to just one weekly appearance until even this was taken away. It’s not enough, not to say unfair to other sections of the media, that Gauci has made herself available to just one media house. In something of this magnitude, Gauci should be on national TV (PBS) at least once a week to explain the situation, and she should dedicate at least one hour for a weekly press conference. It’s not that she said much when she did hold such meetings with journalists, as her answers to the more difficult questions always left much to be desired. But at least she would allow us to ask.

Why are the health authorities not saying, in their daily bulletin, how many of the daily cases being reported are of the omicron variant? Are the authorities afraid of the people’s reaction?

Why are we not being officially told how many of the people in hospital are vaccinated or not vaccinated? Is the government concerned that the publication of these particular statistics would not help its vaccination drive?

Is enforcement of Covid-related regulations still taking place? It’s been quite a while since information was issued on how many people and establishments were fined.