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Beyond emergency regulations: Management of a global mass disaster

18 Sep 2021

By Prof. Ranjana W. Seneviratne “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is a valuable English adage. Countries have survived many perilous situations because of the right decisions taken by leaders and the hard work of citizens. For Sri Lanka – a nation amid a mix of difficulties of an unprecedented scale – the time is right for more tough decisions and hard work. The relevant mode of governance and regulations are in effect, and more is required. Countries include provisions on emergency regulations in their constitutions to navigate through difficult periods. As Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of isolated UK during World War II, said, “in times of difficulty, people must surrender much cherished rights to the government in order to take them back when things become better”, and he practised this principle in the UK. His measures included rationing food, fuel, and clothes, and he advised on not exchanging physical gifts. Young girls used to draw on their legs with markers to pretend that they were wearing stockings! These austerity measures were accompanied by a remarkable drive for improvisation and innovation. One such innovation was radar, which was perfected out of necessity, and later gave rise to its medical offshoot, ultrasound. Also, engaging in black markets and war profiteering carried severe punishments. A sizable fraction of Sri Lankan society is driven to oppose emergency regulations, especially when they are enacted. These objections are initiated and fuelled by the ignorant as well as local and foreign actors with vested interests. The public must realise that the prevailing situation is beyond what you would categorise as an emergency. What would follow the prevailing situation, in worsening order, are national disasters, national mass disasters, global disasters, and global mass disasters. An emergency is a situation where time is critical but resources are not; a disaster is where both are in short supply; and a mass disaster is a situation where, on top of the abovementioned shortages, other necessities for life such as the economy and social order are also overwhelmed. In fact, the Covid-19 pandemic should be considered as nothing short of a global mass disaster – unfortunately, one of many we may have to face in the future. The Government will have to take harder, or, as critics would say, “draconian” decisions beyond what is allowed by emergency regulations, and it is the duty of the public to understand, accept, and comply with them for the duration. These decisions have saved the day so far. Both the Government and the public have a responsibility to ignore and discourage negative voices and actions which can make an already extremely difficult situation impossible to manage. (The author is a university academic and a consultant surgeon with experience in civilian and military disaster management) The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of the publication.


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