It’s mid-August and it certainly feels like it. The heat is unbearable and the queues to go to Gozo endless. Like the Italians’ Ferragosto, the Feast of the Assumption has long served as an excuse for the Maltese to unwind. It should be our time to regroup and recuperate after an incredibly stressful year, but instead, we are facing rising COVID-19 numbers and a government which seems hellbent on dancing to a tune which they’re clearly only hearing in their heads.
After days of silence and the odd smug comment, the prime minister finally addressed growing concerns last week. It truly was incredible to hear him speak, but for all the wrong reasons. As he sat there maskless, with Chris Fearne next to him looking like he’d rather be having tea and crumpets with Satan himself, I watched with slack-jawed horror as he yet again made light of our dire situation.
It wasn’t just the echoes of Trump-speak that I found deeply disturbing as he went on and on about how we had nothing to worry about, but more irksome than that was the fact that he appeared to be completely unapologetic about the way in which he and his administration have tackled the disaster we find ourselves in. It’s this laissez-faire attitude which is being transmitted to people, and it shows.
We may have won the battle, but we certainly haven’t won the war- Anna Marie Galea
Although we are getting higher numbers than ever before, people are cavorting like there’s no tomorrow and if we keep this up there certainly won’t be a tomorrow for some. Paceville is packed, all the normal beauty spots are brimming with people jostling for space like ants around a sugar bowl. And really and truly, what else could we expect when people keep being told to enjoy their summers? Indeed, the only voices of reason in this desert of chaos are coming from the healthcare sector, however, even those are being steamrollered by people who want to keep playing the violin while the Titanic sinks.
During the last couple of weeks alone, the attacks I have seen on doctors, nurses and healthcare workers beggar all belief. They have been accused of being greedy and money-grubbing, called liars and fantasists and at no point has the government done anything to defend them or more importantly heed their advice. Even the new measures which were put into place after a meeting which lasted a whole day are laughable and yet many are trying to crucify their healers instead of those who got them into this mess.
Instead of people trying to find solutions to at least be able to live with this very abnormal new normal, they spend their time squabbling about the numbers being released by unofficial sources. Forget missing the woods for the trees; some people appear to be missing the entire jungle. I didn’t know that being “positive” meant ignoring what was staring you in the face and that being vigilant was being alarmist, but I suppose you learn something new every day.
The truth is that we can stick our heads in the sand all we want but it won’t make a difference long term: many countries have already sounded their alarm bells when it comes to Malta and more will follow suit to protect their citizens. Maybe someone should wake up the prime minister on his boat in Sicily and tell him that we may have won the battle, but we certainly haven’t won the war.