I lay in bed last night, and from nowhere came the thought… “What if COVID-19 doesn’t end in the New Year?” I don’t know about you, but I have had this vision of COVID-19 becoming no more inconvenient than the flu in the New Year. But what if it doesn’t?
Here we are, getting towards a year of the restrictions, social and financial hardships brought on by the pandemic, and really, nobody has a roadmap for getting out of it. Globally, every nation is ‘doing its own thing,’ every time a scientist or an ‘expert’ makes a public statement, another disagrees creating a myriad of complications for those of us trying to put our own thoughts in order so that we are confident that our actions and processes are going to keep us safe. In terms of what we are being told, we can have less and less faith in what we read and hear through the global media.
I feel certain that this is why we have had so many impositions and restrictions placed on us by the authorities, the Supreme Committee, here in Oman, who have demonstrated a reasoned, yet I feel pragmatic approach to the pandemic, however I feel certain they have been undone by the uncertainty and variety of opinions expressed in the global reaction to the threat. Just look at the amazing diversity of national responses around the world, and how the various nationalities have responded.
The Institute of Labour Economics looked at a number of country’s responses and the United States was hit hard on the employment front through March and April higher unemployment and social benefits mitigated some of the adverse effects, employee retention and work-share incentives have been heavily subsidised, however with modest success. The great American ‘freedom’ debate, black lives matter, and policing issues have significantly impacted upon their society’s positive response to any COVID related measures, not helped by President Trump flouting expert advice and his dismissal of COVID-19 as barely relevant.
The United Kingdom has experienced its greatest economic reverse in more than 40 years, and both the institutional, self-employed, and particularly youth unemployment figures are abysmal. Worse, job retention and income support schemes, and novelty business support initiatives appear beset with integrity issues.
Their priority will be reversing a slide towards long-term unemployment. This has caused significant social instability, youth insecurity and behavioural revolt. It is clear too that the less affluent are suffering disproportionately.
Sweden, on the other hand took a ‘hands-off’ societal perspective, leaving it to the population to implement the measures they felt individually inclined towards. However, the global responses forced significant job losses in the tourism and service sectors where currently sustainable financial assistance has mitigated much of the impact. Of course, this made for a happier society, however recent figures have shown an alarming increase in cases, and authorities must now be holding their breath.
New Zealand, as you know, went into an immediate lockdown and border closure, with astonishing results, and has been effectively COVID-Free within the community for almost 6 months, the only cases being those entering the country in forced isolation. There have been significant job losses in the tourist-reliant economy, however the population appear to be completely behind the governmental responses given their landslide victory in the recent elections.
And what do those four nation’s responses tell us, along with our own? Probably that societal acceptance of government policies, measures and restrictions is the only way forward, and that individual responses are selfish, and destructive to the national good. Maybe we should be looking at ourselves for longer in the mirror, asking if we are doing all we could and should to achieve society and community objectives, rather than, “I do what I think is best.”
Your willingness to ‘go to battle’ against COVID-19, and to be strong, admirable in less uncertain circumstances, is nothing less than foolhardy in these.
Ray Petersen
r.j.petersen52@gmail.com
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