A COVID reminder

As the country gradually opens up, it’s natural to allow ourselves fleeting thoughts of a world heading back to normality. It’s probably this inclination that a particularly kind observer might say is behind the growing lax attitude among the public in adhering to the necessary health protocols.

Indeed, a quick glance on social media will show you that nightclubs and bars are usually stacked with people with nary a mask in sight. Shopping complexes and marketplaces are meanwhile teeming with people, with the notion of social distancing seemingly a relic of a bygone age. And the less said about public transport the better. 

It is in the context that since the lockdown ended on 1 October – and inter-provincial travel restrictions subsequently lifted on 1 November – that COVID case numbers have begun to see a steady rise in the country. At the height of the pandemic and the third wave – midway through August when the last lockdown came into effect – daily infections were at almost 5,000 a day. By the time the lockdown was eased, this number was down to sub-1,000. In fact, by mid-October the number was down to around 500 a day – but this is likely due to the true COVID case numbers taking a few weeks to appear in official statistics. Which means, in reality, the lockdown had succeeded I bring caseloads down by roughly 90%.

But sadly, those numbers now seem to be going in the wrong direction once more. But if we are to avoid a fourth wave, one of the areas this could be quite effectively managed is in the workplace. With many now returning to the workplace, and work-from-home protocols unfortunately being rolled back in many offices, leadership must ensure that things like vaccine mandates, cyclical testing, and improving airflow to limit the virus’s spread are enforced stringently. They must also not pass the buck, so to speak, on to the Government.

CEOs can arguably push social change in ways that the Government simply cannot; talking to employees, hearing out their concerns, and moving forward in a meaningful way is, quite frankly, far more effective than simply pushing out directives over when they should come to work. While this is certainly an area HR can assist in, it’s CEOs that must take the initiative to show that they care about making the workplace as safe an environment as possible.

And the sooner this can be done the better, with experts already speculating about the possibility of vaccine-resistant strain of the virus appearing at some point next year. It’s simply a fanciful notion to hope for this virus to gradually fade away like those in the past – it’s too virulent, and the world is so mobilised that the chances of the virus mutating and spreading are far greater.

The most likely outcome is that advancement in therapies and other treatments will mean that it becomes something we deal with – similar to influenza. However, this is far more likely to occur in richer nations as opposed to the developing world, which means countries like Sri Lanka cannot afford to be as lax as we are now.

And even with this scenario, experts believe it will likely take two to three years to get there, meaning that the next few years are going to be rough, regardless of the prevalence of vaccines. It’s high time the public stop waiting on the Government to enforce strict regulations and instead take it upon themselves to ensure the safety of themselves and their fellow citizens.