In a time of a global Pandemic, human rights are put in balance with community interests, decisionmakers struggle to maintain public trust, to mitigate people’s fear and panic during the implementation of public health measures & social restrictions, in the most affected countries observations during the first phase of the COVID-19 spread showed that everyone who needed treatment received it until there was a second phase where the number of patients exceeded the therapeutic capacity & only those with life threatening conditions were first served and there was the third & final phase, where the situation turned into a disaster and priority, was given to those who are expected to have the best chance of survival, Italy is the best example of phase 3 which has been on lockdown for more than three weeks with nearly 11,000 deaths.
In the beginning, the Curacao government issued a request for citizens to implement social distancing to minimize physical contact between individuals to reduce the possibility for new infections, after that the first local transmission was identified, more drastic measures were taken, workplaces were closed & shelter in place order has been issued as a protective practice to interrupt the spread of the virus.
It is frustrating however not complicated to apply social distancing or let’s call it physical distancing when vaccines and medicines are not yet available to fight back the infection, some experts suggest that the healthcare system is like a bus that can only hold a number of people, in the rush hour others have to wait for their turn to use that bus, by reducing the working hours and encouraging people to work from home, the prospect of being able to get a ride will increase for sure, so the more we abide by the current implemented measures the more we safeguard our healthcare capacity and those vulnerable groups(the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, disabled people, people with mental health problem & homeless people), if we look at the transmission pattern, each person infected with the virus can pass it on to 2 or 3 persons at its commencement based on the reproduction number used by epidemiologists, the incubation period of COVID-19 can be up to 14 days for symptoms to appear and if we are infected without knowing and we keep on leading our normal lives we might likely pass the virus to 2 or 3 other people who can infect others as well on and on, staying home will break the chain but let’s be realistic, this will not stop the transmission completely, people will still leave their homes for some necessities and workers with essential jobs will still go to work, nevertheless, we are blessed to have a government that is acting quickly and efficiently to keep the curve flat, we are not yet in phase 3 and I hope we won’t get there anytime soon, I am also aware of the negative impact of these measures on our community and businesses specifically those working in the gig economy, but protecting the country’s public health is a must in times like these, eventually our employees’ health, wellbeing and happiness are important factor for the economy.
What can we do in such foreseeable circumstances? Digital socializing such as staying in contact with friends and family via social media and the phone is important to maintain good mental health, sharing our concerns with others whom we trust and providing support when it is needed, spending time doing the things we like the most, reading, cooking or any indoor hobbies can minimize the negative impact on our health.
The key takes away from all this? Until the cases start decreasing and COVID-19 becomes a common respiratory virus same as Influenza, let’s stay home and apply the general principles of safety and hygiene, social distancing means stay away from people but not from your purpose in life, let’s all stay safe.
