How do you explain to a small child, who spent months locked up at home, that two weeks ago it was OK to play with other children and now she can’t?

That she’d better not hug nanna and nannu again?

Many people I speak to share one thing. They are asking themselves: Will I manage to go through this again? 

As the number of coronavirus cases increase at an alarming rate, so are our levels of anxiety. As we have seen when the virus first hit Malta in March, people suffered from a range of mental health issues – with anxiety and loneliness topping the list. They sought help from the 24-hour free supportline 1770 run by the Richmond Foundation. 

People were finally settling into this “new normal” when a few weeks ago the numbers started rising – a few weeks after the airports were reopened and mass events allowed. 

Last time it was anxiety. This time there’s a dose of anger in the emotional mix.

Back in March it was all new. We were all in this together and nobody knew any better. We chose to listen to the authorities and stay indoors spending long weeks away from loved ones. 

We had to homeschool our children while we worked from home. Frontliners didn’t have the luxury of doing that and many moved out of their homes to protect their families. Mothers gave birth alone as fathers were not allowed in during delivery. 

People lost their jobs as the economy took a strong hit. Couples broke down under the pressure. Many dealt with mental health issues that ranged from anxiety brought about by the pandemic, to coping with pre-existing mental health conditions like depression. Elderly people and those with chronic conditions were isolated. Nine people died and their families could not attend their funeral. And those living in dysfunctional households endured weeks of hell. 

We managed to get out of it – it was OK. Except for the sporadic one-off case, we started feeling – dare I say – safe again. 

And now – after all that – here we go again. We should have known better. 

So yes. Many people I speak to are angry that they will have to live like this because of the decisions of others. I’m one of them.

As the mother of a small child, I’m worried about how all this is going to impact my family’s mental health – starting with my own. I’m walking about in fear of contracting the virus or, worse still, becoming the vehicle that transmits it to vulnerable loved ones. 

I was just hoping to return to the office and to my work environment as I was finally starting to feel comfortable taking my daughter to her grandparents’ house. Not now. 

This time, as my daughter enters pre-school, there will be homeschooling. I heard so many horror stories from parents who had to juggle work with homeschooling. How will I cope? 

Besides, the idea of her spending another couple of months locked in watching TV (because it’s the only thing that works for a long stretch) while I work just breaks my heart. She is missing out on so much. They all are. 

We should have known better. 

I’m just one of many people feeling this way and I know for a fact that many share these emotions. 

Richmond Foundation chief executive Stephania Dimech Sant says calls to the supportline spiked over the last weeks. More worrying, she feels Malta is still not geared up to face the mental health impact a second wave will have. We are doing a great job at safeguarding physical health, but mental health services need to be bolstered.

International authorities, like the United Nations and the World Health Organisation, are calling on countries to increase resources in mental health services which are “an essential part of all government responses to COVID-19”.

We’ve been there and know the impact this had the first time round. Let’s make sure that in a few months’ time we won’t be saying: We should have known better. Because we know, now. 

Claudia Calleja is a Times of Malta journalist.