Over the years, Sri Lanka has become famous for many things; from its ancient culture to its world-renowned tea to its cricket. But in recent times, the country has been hitting the headlines for other, more dubious reasons. One was the Government's steadfast refusal to follow the global trend of imposing lockdowns to tackle the rampaging global pandemic, and instead relying on homegrown solutions. However, with the situation becoming untenable with hospitals overwhelmed and critical patients having to rely on divine intervention even as the mortuaries struggled to cope, sanity prevailed at last with the decision to go in for a national lockdown.
Exactly one year and five months to the day since the first lockdown took effect on 20 March 2020, the country entered its fourth such lockdown on Friday night (20). It took everyone under the sun and his brother, that ultimately included the coalition partners of the ruling alliance, the entire Opposition, the clergy, business community, and even the ordinary folk who decided to voluntarily self-lockdown, to finally compel the powers that be to throw in the towel. Elsewhere in the world it has been the exact opposite, with governments hastening to impose lockdowns at the first sign of trouble and people protesting such hastiness. Of course, the results derived from the two diametrically opposed approaches clearly indicate as to which is the more effective.
As a consequence of delaying the inevitable, even when casualty figures sent shivers down the spine of the medical community, questions have been raised on whether the situation could have been handled better. It is obvious from the cabinet reshuffle that took place last week, with the Health Minister being replaced by another, that at least the powers that be are of the opinion that the situation could and should have been handled differently. Having said that, it remains to be seen whether the solution provided is akin to treating a headache by changing the pillow, with the new Minister lacking any sort of credentials to be assigned the health portfolio at this critical juncture.
Further highlighting the general state of confusion within government, is the manner in which the country’s tourism authority seems to be going about its business, quite oblivious to the current ground reality. It was just a couple of days before the lockdown was announced, that the country's Tourism Chief was enthusiastically inviting visitors to put Sri Lanka on their travel agenda. Nowhere in the world have we heard of a country in lockdown and grappling with mind-boggling case numbers, promoting tourism at the same time. A cart-before-the-horse situation, if ever there was one.
But 20 August 2021 is significant for a far more important reason. It was the first time that the Head of State decided to tell the people that they should be prepared to make “sacrifices” if the battle against the global pandemic was to be won. Almost on cue, a prominent member of the Cabinet submitted a proposal envisaging a pay cut for public servants “in the national interest”. Once again, it brought to the fore the conflicting messages that have been emanating from different arms of the Government. Depending on whom you ask, the country could be either flourishing on the economic front or scraping the barrel to make ends meet. But when the Head of State, in the best possible diplomatic speak, says that sacrifices will have to be made by the people, it puts in perspective the reality that the future is likely to be paved with hardship for the ordinary citizen.
Whatever utopian paradise that the assortment of ministers attempts to paint to the public, it is clear that there is unlikely to be any gain without pain. It is therefore creditable for the Head of State to place this reality in the public domain even at this juncture. There is no doubt that people from all walks of life, most notably those at the bottom of the pyramid, have been pushed to make enormous sacrifices due to the raging pandemic including and not limited to life itself. The great majority of the 7,000 lives lost so far have been from this segment.
Despite the enormity of what they have lost in the name of the pandemic, no Sri Lankan will grudge going the extra mile to put an end to the ongoing human carnage. But the issue on people's minds is whether the scales are even when it comes to the sacrifices they have been called upon to make as opposed to the ruling class. The ordinary citizen already endured so much compared to the ruling class, whose example of making sacrifices so far has been regrettable at best. Instead of leading from the front when it comes to tightening the belt, they have failed to step away from the gravy train.
But with the economy facing its worst crisis since Independence, it appears that things may be about to change. It is only now, for the first time, in fact, that talk has surfaced of ruling politicians submitting themselves to austerity measures. It is to the credit of the Opposition that they have taken the lead in this regard by pledging their salaries to the Covid Fund to help the helpless. As to how far they will walk the talk, only time will tell. Many are of the view that the Head of State's exhortation for public co-operation is too little too late. But then again, better late than never. The country, in particular, and the economy, in general, have suffered a near-terminal blow, owing to the deadly cocktail of diminishing revenue on the one side and skyrocketing expenditure on the other.
However, any and all austerity measures will count for nothing if the spread of the virus is not halted. After all, there is a limit to what the people can endure. The globally approved methodology to tackle the spread of the virus has been to nip it in the bud, vis-à-vis trace it to the source and prevent its spread. Instead of doing that, there is no point in wasting financial resources on increasing hospital capacity and health resources while numbers continue to grow. Such efforts will prove to be futile, as demand for beds will always outstrip supply as long as the virus spreads. As the medical community has been consistently pointing out, restriction of movement, increased testing, and strict adherence to health guidelines is the way forward to minimise spread until the majority of the population is fully vaccinated.
But the issue is not likely to end there. It has been reported that the Delta variant in Sri Lanka has now mutated into three other variants, with one such variant being exclusive to the country and not found anywhere else in the world. Given these troubling developments, the idea of herd immunity is now out of the question, and it remains to be seen how well the vaccines react to the emerging threats. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that the correct signals are sent to the public regarding the vaccines and their efficacy against the variants. The public must be told, in no uncertain terms, that vaccination does not mean a passport to return to the pre-pandemic lifestyle.
Hopefully, having learnt from the vaccination muddle where priority was not given to the most vulnerable at the inception, steps must be taken to provide a third booster dose if necessary to this particular group in the coming days. It is imperative that the new Health Minister gets down to the nuts and bolts of this matter and makes arrangements to place orders for a potential third dose ahead of the inevitable global rush. Whether the state of the economy will provide for that is another aspect that needs consideration, but the fact that lives matter over all else, should be justification enough to follow through with the move.Better late than never
21 Aug 2021
Better late than never
21 Aug 2021
Over the years, Sri Lanka has become famous for many things; from its ancient culture to its world-renowned tea to its cricket. But in recent times, the country has been hitting the headlines for other, more dubious reasons. One was the Government's steadfast refusal to follow the global trend of imposing lockdowns to tackle the rampaging global pandemic, and instead relying on homegrown solutions. However, with the situation becoming untenable with hospitals overwhelmed and critical patients having to rely on divine intervention even as the mortuaries struggled to cope, sanity prevailed at last with the decision to go in for a national lockdown.
Exactly one year and five months to the day since the first lockdown took effect on 20 March 2020, the country entered its fourth such lockdown on Friday night (20). It took everyone under the sun and his brother, that ultimately included the coalition partners of the ruling alliance, the entire Opposition, the clergy, business community, and even the ordinary folk who decided to voluntarily self-lockdown, to finally compel the powers that be to throw in the towel. Elsewhere in the world it has been the exact opposite, with governments hastening to impose lockdowns at the first sign of trouble and people protesting such hastiness. Of course, the results derived from the two diametrically opposed approaches clearly indicate as to which is the more effective.
As a consequence of delaying the inevitable, even when casualty figures sent shivers down the spine of the medical community, questions have been raised on whether the situation could have been handled better. It is obvious from the cabinet reshuffle that took place last week, with the Health Minister being replaced by another, that at least the powers that be are of the opinion that the situation could and should have been handled differently. Having said that, it remains to be seen whether the solution provided is akin to treating a headache by changing the pillow, with the new Minister lacking any sort of credentials to be assigned the health portfolio at this critical juncture.
Further highlighting the general state of confusion within government, is the manner in which the country’s tourism authority seems to be going about its business, quite oblivious to the current ground reality. It was just a couple of days before the lockdown was announced, that the country's Tourism Chief was enthusiastically inviting visitors to put Sri Lanka on their travel agenda. Nowhere in the world have we heard of a country in lockdown and grappling with mind-boggling case numbers, promoting tourism at the same time. A cart-before-the-horse situation, if ever there was one.
But 20 August 2021 is significant for a far more important reason. It was the first time that the Head of State decided to tell the people that they should be prepared to make “sacrifices” if the battle against the global pandemic was to be won. Almost on cue, a prominent member of the Cabinet submitted a proposal envisaging a pay cut for public servants “in the national interest”. Once again, it brought to the fore the conflicting messages that have been emanating from different arms of the Government. Depending on whom you ask, the country could be either flourishing on the economic front or scraping the barrel to make ends meet. But when the Head of State, in the best possible diplomatic speak, says that sacrifices will have to be made by the people, it puts in perspective the reality that the future is likely to be paved with hardship for the ordinary citizen.
Whatever utopian paradise that the assortment of ministers attempts to paint to the public, it is clear that there is unlikely to be any gain without pain. It is therefore creditable for the Head of State to place this reality in the public domain even at this juncture. There is no doubt that people from all walks of life, most notably those at the bottom of the pyramid, have been pushed to make enormous sacrifices due to the raging pandemic including and not limited to life itself. The great majority of the 7,000 lives lost so far have been from this segment.
Despite the enormity of what they have lost in the name of the pandemic, no Sri Lankan will grudge going the extra mile to put an end to the ongoing human carnage. But the issue on people's minds is whether the scales are even when it comes to the sacrifices they have been called upon to make as opposed to the ruling class. The ordinary citizen already endured so much compared to the ruling class, whose example of making sacrifices so far has been regrettable at best. Instead of leading from the front when it comes to tightening the belt, they have failed to step away from the gravy train.
But with the economy facing its worst crisis since Independence, it appears that things may be about to change. It is only now, for the first time, in fact, that talk has surfaced of ruling politicians submitting themselves to austerity measures. It is to the credit of the Opposition that they have taken the lead in this regard by pledging their salaries to the Covid Fund to help the helpless. As to how far they will walk the talk, only time will tell. Many are of the view that the Head of State's exhortation for public co-operation is too little too late. But then again, better late than never. The country, in particular, and the economy, in general, have suffered a near-terminal blow, owing to the deadly cocktail of diminishing revenue on the one side and skyrocketing expenditure on the other.
However, any and all austerity measures will count for nothing if the spread of the virus is not halted. After all, there is a limit to what the people can endure. The globally approved methodology to tackle the spread of the virus has been to nip it in the bud, vis-à-vis trace it to the source and prevent its spread. Instead of doing that, there is no point in wasting financial resources on increasing hospital capacity and health resources while numbers continue to grow. Such efforts will prove to be futile, as demand for beds will always outstrip supply as long as the virus spreads. As the medical community has been consistently pointing out, restriction of movement, increased testing, and strict adherence to health guidelines is the way forward to minimise spread until the majority of the population is fully vaccinated.
But the issue is not likely to end there. It has been reported that the Delta variant in Sri Lanka has now mutated into three other variants, with one such variant being exclusive to the country and not found anywhere else in the world. Given these troubling developments, the idea of herd immunity is now out of the question, and it remains to be seen how well the vaccines react to the emerging threats. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that the correct signals are sent to the public regarding the vaccines and their efficacy against the variants. The public must be told, in no uncertain terms, that vaccination does not mean a passport to return to the pre-pandemic lifestyle.
Hopefully, having learnt from the vaccination muddle where priority was not given to the most vulnerable at the inception, steps must be taken to provide a third booster dose if necessary to this particular group in the coming days. It is imperative that the new Health Minister gets down to the nuts and bolts of this matter and makes arrangements to place orders for a potential third dose ahead of the inevitable global rush. Whether the state of the economy will provide for that is another aspect that needs consideration, but the fact that lives matter over all else, should be justification enough to follow through with the move.Kapruka
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!