Just over two weeks ago, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate global ceasefire in the face of another war that can only be won if there is unity: the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. He was quoted as saying, “the fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war”. To bolster this, just days later, Pope Francis appealed to everyone to “stop every form of bellicose hostility and to favour the creation of corridors for humanitarian help, diplomatic efforts and attention to those who find themselves in situations of great vulnerability”.
The response to the call for a halt to war has been somewhat favourable. According to reports, fighters in Afghanistan, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Colombia, Libya, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen have vowed to down arms. But there are other battles that continue. One that is particularly shameful, and disturbing, is domestic violence. It has been reported that owing to mandated lockdowns around the world, there has been a global surge in violence directed towards women and girls.
This unfortunately is happening at a time when the usual systems that should be in place to protect victims have had to turn all resources to fighting Covid-19. Home is where we expect people to be safe from this virus, but many homes are now posing a greater threat to life and limb. So much so that the UN Secretary-General was forced to issue another call just days ago for measures to be put in place to ensure the safety of women and girls.
This does not augur well for the Covid-19 fight. Having to split resources to protect the lives of the vulnerable means that there will be less to direct towards ending the spread of the virus. And if vulnerable people have to be removed from their homes, they could be at risk for contracting or spreading the virus. Yet, it would be nothing short of callous to not help them.
It is a vicious catch 22 situation, which serves to illuminate the plight in which the world finds itself. This is just one example of why it is difficult to contain Covid-19 in some places; it is a battle that has to be fought on too many fronts. On the one hand, the solutions are right in front of us. On the other, even the so-called erudite among us seem to be finding it impossible to do the right thing.
Guyana is a veritable case in point. It seems that we are unable to grasp the salient concept in avoiding devastation by Covid-19, which is, to prepare for the very worst and at the same time do everything within our power to avoid it. Guyana’s public health system is far from being the worst in the world. However, it is in no way prepared to deal with the ravages of Covid-19. The system would be overwhelmed if it were suddenly expected to deal with 2,000 cases, much less the 20,000 projected as likely in Guyana.
There has been an upswing in the number of cases from last week to now and the trajectory, unfortunately, is still pointing upward. Is there a plan in the event of a worst-case scenario? If there is government should do all it can – it does not have to reveal the details, but assurances would be good – to put citizens’ minds at ease. As it is, in the absence of adequate pertinent information from the Ministry of Public Health, citizens are turning to sources who it would seem take joy in scaremongering. If there is no plan, one hopes it is being made even now.
The political and racial fissures in the country, widened by the appalling performances we have witnessed post-March 2, are going to do more harm than good. It matters not at this point which side you’re on, anyone who is not doing everything he or she can to aid in the fight against Covid-19 is fighting the wrong battle. This is not the time for pomposity or for showing who is better than whom. This is a time for all hands to the wheel or it will be a time we all regret.
Guyana is a nation divided and it is such division that will be the downfall of not one side or the other, but all of us in this pandemic era. As American great Abraham Lincoln said in his speech in Illinois in1858, rephrasing Matthew 12:25 in the Holy Bible, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. There is a time for everything. The middle of a global pandemic is not the time for war or divisions. We will all lose if we fail to come together at a time like this.
