Time for clarity of thought

Monday, 31 May 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

As the Government over the weekend abruptly announced an extension of the travel restrictions currently in place across the country, with it now set to extend uninterrupted until 7 June sans being lifted briefly on 31 May and 4 June as previously announced, one could not help but draw a few conclusions from such a move.

For one, it clearly indicates that the severity of the present pandemic is only being grasped on the fly, with decisions seemingly being taken ad-hoc, as progressively more dire numbers of cases and deaths surface.

Earlier this month, COVID-19 Disease Control Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle warned that the number of undetected COVID-19 patients in the community must be up to two or three times the number who test positive daily. This is being proved true on a daily basis.

The Government cannot continue to be caught off guard by the rising numbers. As it stands, it is anybody’s guess as to whether the travel restrictions will be lifted or extended on 7 June. This level of uncertainty does not bode well for anyone, least of all the public’s ever-dwindling faith in the Government.

The second conclusion is that it highlights the rushed nature of the decision making process within the Government at the moment. A Government is responsible for all of its people, not just some.

Even when the brief windows were installed for the lifting of travel restrictions, the Government saw it fit to impose a ban on vehicular transport of any kind – seemingly a measure to curb panic buying in large quantities. But even a notional re-evaluation of such a move would have identified that families vary in size and, as such, with only one member per household allowed outside, even stocking up for five days would in most cases still require a vehicle.

This of course led to the rather comical, but all too relatable episode of the ‘wheelbarrow man’, transporting several bags of groceries in a wheelbarrow, only to be arrested on the dubious pretence of not wearing a mask (he had allegedly taken it off for a photo).

This episode highlights the patent absurdity of the present stream of Government decision making, something further exacerbated by the fact that the Government has now removed those travel windows; so, some households, which may have barely scraped enough items together for a couple of days, are now left with online shopping as their only recourse.

This brings us to the point alluded to earlier; the Government is responsible for all its people, not just those who have access to internet and mobile delivery services. One very important aspect of the COVID-19 battle is ensuring that low income groups are assisted, as their livelihoods have been badly hit by measures taken to contain the virus – ad-hoc moves on the part of the Government, no matter the justification, can sometimes do more harm than good.

Travel restrictions are indeed necessary, but if they are to be imposed, then the Government needs to do more to ensure the most vulnerable members of society are taken care off. Letting the public fend for themselves in a pandemic, with little to no guidance, is a recipe for disaster. This was a lesson that should have been learnt a year ago, but it still is not too late.