The government’s decision to suspend all travel by air and sea between Malta and Italy is a bold one. All cases of Covid-19 recorded so far in Malta originated from Italy, whose inhabitants have been ordered to go into lockdown.  

The Maltese government has fallen in line with the advice it has been receiving from the doctors’ union to ban certain flights from the north, but has now taken the measure all the way. It was a tough but necessary decision in Malta’s containment efforts.

Our neighbours to the north are having a torrid time combating the coronavirus. Stories from the front line of their health services speak of a terribly overworked and under resourced medical workforce.

We hope that with everyone’s cooperation in taking measures to prevent catching or spreading it, the virus will not spread widely in the community.

That is a stage of the progression of this disease that all must work hard to prevent but be prepared for. The authorities are assuring that national preparedness is robust and the signs so far do not provide much evidence to the contrary.

We all have a role to play to contain unnecessary panic, from the top media organisations who should just stick to experts’ advice, to anyone keen on disseminating misinformation on social media.

While the government is leading, entities in between need to get on board the national effort and pull the same rope: businesses and unions are foremost among them.

Some countries have already confirmed that workers who self-quarantine or do not report for work because they are affected by this virus will get paid. Our business people need to be thinking on similar lines to prevent employees who may show symptoms of the virus infection from reporting for work. Work-from-home arrangements for those who can do so will be a must if the virus spreads into the community.

Employers should also make sure their staff have all the essential supplies in place to prevent the spread of the infection in the workplace, including hand sanitisers and water and soap. This measure may seem an obvious precaution but some workplaces may not always guarantee such necessary hygiene facilities.

Unions, especially those on the forefront of the fight against the virus, must think twice before rushing to issue directives which might possibly hamper the fight to the detriment of the population.

Misplaced alarm must certainly not get in the way of rational decision making. The directives issued by the nurses’ union – not to treat patients with coronavirus – over what it calls the inadequacy of personal protection equipment, while motivated by concern over its members’ health, must be reconsidered in the light of the government’s assurance that the kits are perfectly protective.

These are the kind of kneejerk threats we can do without at this point in time.

Of course, the government must avoid sending mixed messages about the situation and go out of its way to inform and educate how to keep the virus at bay. Coronavirus is not a death sentence but we should be alert to keep it contained, even if it comes at a short to medium-term economic cost. 

Responsibility to keep the virus at bay must be shared by government, business leaders, trade unions, workers, the media... Quite literally, we are in this global crisis together.