Deliveries, not drones

The video of a helicopter fitted out with a camera hovering over villages and attempting to identify COVID-19 curfew breakers has gone viral, but it is unlikely to have the impact the Government would have hoped. Governments, from time to time, provide a spectacle and the public usually laps it up. But this particular display comes at the wrong time and in the wrong way and is more likely to encourage resentment than restraint. 

As COVID-19 continues to sweep across the country, the Government appears to be intent on coming up with novel ways to enforce quarantine measures. In addition to the usual barricades, police tape and military presence, drones are being deployed to track citizens of this country. To make matters worse, at a time when most people are desperate for food and other essentials, the Government decides public funds are better spent in sending token helicopters to track citizens, complete with TV cameras. 

This is appalling treatment of citizens who have tried to adhere to curfews, quarantine restrictions and social distancing measures. True, they have not been implemented flawlessly by the public, but the Government’s own track record has been far from pristine. Many of these people are poor and do not have the resources needed to work from home or access remote education and other services. Many cannot afford to stock up on essentials for prolonged periods of time and the earlier curfew wiped out their savings.

Some level of empathy and understanding also needs to be factored in by policymakers given that people are living through some of the most trying times in memory. Many quarantined police divisions have been under lockdowns for weeks on end, the curfews were imposed with little or no notice in many instances and they have not been lifted as expected. For reasons yet unexplained by the Government, the earlier system of lorry deliveries is largely defunct and deliveries are not coming is as needed.  The Government releases statements claiming that billions worth of packages have been delivered to families but there are few details of exactly who these people were, their selection process and what other measures will be put in place once this round is completed. Multiple reports indicate that many of the poorest of the poor have been bypassed this time and are unlikely to get any other assistance. 

Since policymakers appear to be rather clueless about the public needs, here are a handful of basic points they can focus on. Firstly, use funds from donors, the Itukama Fund and anywhere else to exponentially increase testing capacity, purchase hundreds of thousands more PCR tests and PCR machines and keep them coming.

Secondly, ramp up transparency so the public are given detailed breakdowns of infection breakouts and why certain measures are taken. The COVID-19 Task Force and Health Ministry should have multiple press conferences and dedicate themselves to not just releasing data but also answering the tough questions. 

Thirdly, get essentials to the public. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa recently blamed the public for thoughtlessly spreading COVID-19. Such callous and out-of-touch thinking is not beneficial in this situation, nor will there be much public support for kneejerk reactions when the death count keeps climbing. Only if the Government changes track, puts aside asinine displays and attempts to resolve genuine problems faced by the people will there be an equitable relationship between the public and Government.