As schools open their doors to returning students, summer turns to autumn and COVID-19 transmission and deaths continue to remain unacceptably high, Malta is entering a new phase in its battle with the pandemic.

The self-congratulation that came after the country established itself as one of the most successful in Europe for keeping the virus at bay during the first wave has been eclipsed by the new reality: we’re now topping ECDC charts for mortality rates. This is an intolerable situation.

Some decisions made at the time were highly questionable but that too must take second place for now – the focus must be entirely on how to bring the rates down and prevent too many more lives from being lost.

It must be acknowledged that living in a continuous state of economic limbo was unsustainable. The toll taken on jobs, livelihoods and mental health is leaving scars. People need to get on with their lives. However, this needs to be done in a manner that fully acknowledges the new reality. Denial or wishing it away will not do. Unfortunately, the creeping sense of complacency and news fatigue is leading many to take the pandemic less seriously than they should.

This is a recipe for a worsening, not an improvement, of the situation.

So what next?

Let’s begin by avoiding the temptation to trivialise COVID-19’s effects on its victims. People who have died from the virus should be presented as such.

The health department refers to “underlying conditions” in practically every statement announcing new deaths. This perhaps serves as a useful reminder that those with such conditions need to be extra careful. But it does not mean that these conditions contributed towards the death. Without COVID-19, it is likely most of these people would still be alive.

A death from COVID-19 is just that. The victims and their families deserve their loved one’s death to be presented truthfully and not under the suggestion that something else took their lives, as if to diminish the effects of the virus.

The way victims are buried also needs review. Once properly sealed in a body bag, they are no longer a risk to the public and should be given a proper, dignified burial, not disposed of furtively.

One should learn from mistakes in handling outbreaks. The findings from the probe into the deaths of residents at Dar San Ġużepp home for the elderly should be shared with similar institutions. The culture of sweeping things under the carpet to avoid political embarrassment has no place in this pandemic.

With the coming of the influenza and cold season, it is going to become increasingly difficult to diagnose COVID-19 as the milder symptoms are similar. This could lead either to overkill – quarantining people and keeping them away from work or school unnecessarily – or to late treatment of genuine cases, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Wide distribution and universal access to the new, faster testing kits is an absolute necessity. It will greatly help doctors in managing patients and help shut down foci of the infection much quicker.

A policy of local or focused shutdowns, rather than a general one, is proving successful in other countries. For that to work, we must know who has the infection and reach their contacts as quickly as possible. The new kits will facilitate that.

Education about the virus and the way it spreads as well as community cooperation with the latest guidelines are vital and must be ongoing.

Transparency is a prerequisite. COVID-19 knows no political allegiance. To fight it effectively, we must approach it in the same way.