Archive for Editorial
Caring for the elderly during this difficult period
When it comes to COVID-19, older people are especially vulnerable to severe illness. Research has shown that adults 60 and older, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions, especially heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or…
Let’s be prudent and continue wearing masks
Face coverings are compulsory in indoor settings but enforcement of the rules in public places and by individual businesses seems inconsistent. When one visits local shops, the owner is behind a perspex screen but he/she does not enforce face coverings at all despite signs outside the shop to wear masks. Responsibility has to come from the individual. Scientific research shows that wearing a mask contributes to a larger reduction in risk of infection. We all know that they are uncomfortable, restrictive and make you sweat. However, there is evidence that points to the benefits of wearing them. But when the decision to wear a mask depends on an individual’s evaluation of the risks, interactions can get emotional. Many psychological factors contribute to someone deciding to wear a mask. People vary in how they judge and accept risk, depending on what information they have been exposed to. Research suggests that the more people see others wearing masks, the probability of them wearing one themselves increases. However, I am observing that it is mostly men who are not wearing masks. Honestly, I sometimes don’t like wearing a mask but was interested to read evidence explaining why some groups of men are more likely to not wear a mask, particularly young men, conservative ones and those who align with traditional views of masculinity. Such matters are not helped by those who go on social media and dismiss the wearing of a mask as pointless. If we obey by wearing masks, it is easy to feel angry towards those who do not. However, becoming more aware of our emotional replies is probably crucial to affecting change. Shaming someone in public will probably be counterproductive. Living in a pandemic means we are all stressed and emotional, which affects how we communicate with others. We can try to go about these issues in an empathic manner – if we can. What do we want to achieve when we speak to someone with a mask under his chin or with no mask at all inside a shop? We want them to think about wearing the mask. But we must do this in a courteous manner and tell them that it is prudent to cover the face under these circumstances. By doing this we feel validated. When we feel safe to speak, others may feel safe to rethink.
Government must act swiftly to suppress the virus
Malta is struggling with rising COVID-19 cases. The Superintendent of Public Health has recently said that the ‘situation is serious’ and warned that the number of people being treated in hospitals has also increased. The Government has…
Why do equal rights matter?
People are not equal, but they are of equal value. They have equal rights and are equal before the law. These human rights are an important principle of any…
A human crisis that calls for solidarity
We are facing a global health crisis, one that is spreading human suffering, infecting the economy and turning people’s lives upside down. This is, above all, a human crisis that calls for solidarity. We as human beings are stressed and the social fabric is being torn. There are people who are suffering and are scared. This is a moment that still demands a coordinated, decisive and innovative policy action. Cases of COVID-19 are increasing day by day and the pandemic is also killing people as well as attacking the economy at its core – trade, businesses and jobs. Companies and the tourist industry are struggling to stay in business and families are simply struggling to stay afloat. However, in managing this crisis, we also have a unique opportunity. Done right, we can steer our efforts towards a more sustainable and inclusive path. But poorly coordinated policies will lead to inequalities and increase the poverty figures. We need to focus on critical areas for action. First and foremost we have to tackle the health emergency and this by bolstering facilities, supporting health care workers and ensuring adequate supplies with full respect for human rights and without stigma. During the first wave of the pandemic, it has been proven that the virus can be contained. However, when restrictions were released, the numbers started to increase again. Government has to do its utmost not to let the virus spread like wildfire. Secondly, we must focus on the social impact and the economic response. Increasing financial assistance alone is not the answer. The crisis we are living is not a shock in supply and demand. It is a shock to society as a whole. Most fundamentally, we need to focus on people – the most vulnerable, low-wage workers and SMEs. That means supporting salaries, social protection as well as preventing bankruptcies and redundancies. Moreover, as people’s lives are disrupted and isolated, we must prevent this pandemic from turning into a crisis of mental health. Finally we should resume our responsibility to ultimately recover better. We must ensure that lessons are eventually learned and that this crisis provides an opportune moment for health emergency preparedness and for investiment in critical 21st century public services. The government must ensure that the country’s economy and the people it serves emerge stronger from this crisis. More than ever, we need solidarity, hope and the political will to see this crisis through together.
Mental health cannot be ignored
It feels as if the country’s mental wellbeing has been ignored throughout the pandemic. The public has experienced a traumatic event this year with little time to process it, whilst often enduring financial insecurity and hardship. Several adults are indeed struggling with depression. Young adults, women, key workers, the disabled and other vulnerable persons are among those being affected, as well as, those unable to meet unexpected costs. Also, low-income families are experiencing mental or physical health problems because of Coronavirus as they struggle to pay for food and utilities. Helping these people in the coming months will require substantial investiment in mental health services, services that according to Nationalist MP Mario Galea have been “butchered”. Moreover, if we are to tackle a mental health crisis, we must look at the bigger picture which includes insecurity, low-paid work, discrimination, isolation, changes in routine, overeating and drinking. We too often speak about mental health as if it is disconnected from the material conditions in which we live. However, our jobs, homes and health are linked to our mental wellbeing. If you’re a mother struggling to hold down a job while expected to do home schooling, it is easy to feel depressed. If you are a worker who has lost his job and is facing eviction, it is natural to be anxious. These conditions have been exacerbated by the pandemic. As the resurgence of the virus in Malta carries on, the negative impact on people’s mental health looks set to magnify. Furthermore, it transpires that mental health support has been reduced to rhetoric. To truly address this public health issue would require funding for all aspects of society: from tackling the isolation of vulnerable people to addressing the precarious and unequal labour market that means many families are unable to pay their bills. Prioritising mental health puts the wellbeing of people above profits. It establishes housing, food and healthcare as basic rights. Most of all, it demands genuine and substantial investiment for mental health services, not just empty words. As this country entered the second wave, and as the pandemic continues to affect people’s lives, the nation’s wellbeing is going to become ever more pressing. Government must do what is actually necessary to address Malta’s mental health crisis. It must take the bull by the horns and make the changes that enable people to have better lives.
Let us continue treating health frontliners with respect
During this pandemic, many healthcare workers are being pushed to their limits and beyond as they selflessly care for patients. Since cases of COVID-19 have increased constantly, hospital workers are consequently dealing with a huge influx of patients. The demand for swabbing at testing centres has increased, leaving frontliners in a terrible state of exhaustion. Some workers manning these testing centres, who even spoke to the media, stated that they are understaffed, unmotivated and were not paid for overtime work. To add insult to injury, frontliners were recently told to hurry up by people waiting in line to get tested! This is the empathy that they get! Voice of the Workers is aware of the huge workload that is being carried out by hospital workers. Hence, the public must cooperate especially with all frontliners in efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19, and not to provoke or challenge them in any manner. Let us not deliberately challenge…
Adapting to COVID-19
It is now almost six months since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. As the epidemic was unfolding in February 2020, with little information about the new coronavirus, scientists from across…
Office and work-life after COVID-19
COVID-19 has brought unprecedented human and humanitarian challenges. Many companies have risen to the occasion, actingswiftly to safeguard employees and migrate to a new way of working. Before the pandemic, the…
We are being too reactive to the pandemic
If we were to analyze the actions taken by government in the first and second waves of the pandemic, we would conclude that the decisions taken on the two were different from each other. One recalls the decisions announced by government in recent months which were described with respect to the medical advice provided by the Health Authorities. The population of these islands had obeyed the advice propagated by public health specialists. Hence, collective discipline prevailed. In the first wave of the pandemic, the government was commended, particlularly by the World Health Organisation (WHO), for keeping the number of cases low. Subsequently, when we laxed the active cases began to rise again. The rush to get the economy back on its feet exasperated the WHO’s warnings to countries not to let go of their controls. What happened? Our country had responded to the demands of entrepeneurs, people in business and hoteliers, thereby failing to listen to the advice of the health authorities. Consequently, we witnessed a lot of confusion in the way things were communicated and discipline quickly fell apart. Cases have accumulated rapidly. We were told to enjoy summer. Several people quickly took off their masks and had fun at parties and entertainment venues. This has led to an explosion of COVID-19 cases and the government has now reacted by announcing new measures. This is not the way how to address the second wave of the pandemic. Government is being more reactive to the situation than active and is not taking the situation seriously. The well-being of workers and the most vulnerable is at stake. What concrete precautions are being taken to keep these people safe? In addition, social distancing must still be maintained at all times and those who disobey must be punished. Enforcement must be strong, serious and consistent whilst there should be no exceptions for violators. Let us be mature and use our common sense. Meanwhile, Voice of the Workers continues to urge the government to do more to control the virus before it has fatal effects on both the vulnerable and the country’s economy.