The battle to claim Covid-19!

Leave the battle to those that are genuinely fighting it!

By Romesh Fernando

Covid 19 is here. We’ve known that for a while! The fact remains that each of us are vulnerable. Never mind the origin of the virus; whether it came from China, India or the US or if it was man-made or a natural occurrence.

The crux of the matter is that it is here to stay.

The Military apparatus under General Shavendra and the medical armory are wielding their might, fighting a battle day and night to keep us safe.

While all this is going on, the blame game has begun.

The pundits, Covid gurus and self-anointed investigative journalists putting pen to paper; some making sense but most others exposing their cheap brand of journalism, lacking in value and relevance.

We also have the electronic media exploiting the freedom of expression that has allowed a myriad opportunities for those seeking to spread fake news. Yes, there are a lot of these opinionated characters out there who spew out their far-fetched theories based on nothing but unjustified assumptions & factually incorrect information, which are doing the rounds. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. One thing is for sure – they’re only making the communication service providers rich!

In this day and age, people don’t need education or intelligence to know where this wanton brand of reporting originates from. A little bit of common sense will tell us it originates from the gutter. The language is poor, the information is false and the so-called freedom of expression is that of an ill-informed individual, fit only for the waste paper basket.

While the country is struggling, the misinformed population is judging and the politicians are playing the only game they know! – politics!! All while the economy is in the balance, teetering on the verge of a crash!

My humble request to all those involved in publicizing their thoughts and sharing their opinions is to take a good look in the mirror and ask, ‘What have I done to help the cause of those suffering after contracting this deadly virus?’

If nothing much comes to mind, then that says it all. It would be prudent to stay home safe and let those that are battling this war work unhindered.

Let us be realistic in terms of our responsibilities as the public.

People never took the numerous warnings seriously. That’s the hard and brutal truth.

Politicians wanted elections held to get into parliament, so they could have access to state machinery and resources to run the country!. The industry had to run in order to turn the wheels of production and give life to an already ailing economy. Thousands of employees needed to feed their families. Everyone did what they thought was needed. We heard the words “Covid is no more”. With such a mentality, It was no surprise that the health warnings and preventative efforts slipped through the public’s fingers. The result is a recurrence on the scale we now see.

Let us honestly answer these questions: How many of us attended political meetings and rallies without masks? Disregarded washing hands and sanitizing? How many of us went out shopping freely and to exhibitions, book fairs and what not, caring nought for the virus or the repercussions? How many more still attended funerals, alms-givings, weddings and mass gatherings? The list of events of exposure is endless!

Then, who do we blame? AND IS IT FAIR?

The woman from Minuwangoda was not patient zero. That’s for sure!

The government had to bring in our stranded workers from all over the world: Europe, Middle East, US and across Asia, from wherever they toiled and contributed to our economy. In that process, couldn’t we have imported virtually all strains of the virus?

This is something we couldn’t avoid. We can’t ignore the cries of our people when they are suffering and stranded in a foreign land. Our culture, our humility our nature is not one that shuns our fellow beings when in distress. Many are the stories of drowning of the hero that dived in to save another. Many are those that died in the war fighting for you and for me.

So, is it fair we blame Brandix or the Military or the Health Services or the Government or anyone else for that matter? Instead, don’t you think we need to unite, stand firm and fight this battle for one and all?

Human error and neglect are paramount in this dilemma. Let us refrain from conveniently palming off the blame to others.

Brandix, which has now hit the news for all the wrong reasons, did what they ought to.

They’re a corporate and socially responsible organisation responding to a global problem. They took it upon themselves to charter aircraft to repatriate their own staff from the Brandix industrial park in Visakapatnam. Sadly, this has been twisted and distorted to no end.

The many stories alleging bribing the government, bringing in Indians to teach us how to sew underwear, charter flights that have brought in cheap Indian labour, circumventing quarantine procedures – the list goes on and seems to be pure nonsense.

The demand for answers to questions on passenger manifests bringing in Brandix employees and their families, proof of quarantining them in designated centres, PHI union demands for proof of PHI participation in the quarantine process of monitoring, etc. are the main highlights in this theatrical enactment of twisting and distorting facts, trying to blame a corporate for the mishap of a possible community spread – a ridiculous thought to say the least.

If only each one of them spent some quality time silently checking on the facts via available media and information services- would actually help all concerned to focus more on the need of the hour – looking after our people, our country and doing what is right.

Brandix, with their unparalleled efforts in CSR, ensured their entire might was put into motion to assist in this issue of unimaginable sadness. They continue to do their part day and night and have vouched to continue to ensure they see their staff out of danger.

Their contributions to the cause are immeasurable. From giving over their plants from the word go when the pandemic hit our shores, and certainly long before the Minuwangoda case, to the many funded programmes managing our sick and affected, to continued support to the cause is exemplary to say the least. Let us hold our fire and take a step back and reflect – If you and I manage to contract the virus, we too may end up in one of the quarantine centres facilitated and supported by Brandix.

They have continued to do all this, while trying to keep their focus amidst the often baseless media slandering.

In no civilized world do we blame a pandemic on a corporate entity. This is certainly a first! Yes! corporates can have slip ups, negligence, mishaps, accidents – especially when they are of the magnitude of Brandix. But what matters is how they manage the crisis. Every corporate in today’s world has mitigation plans in place and I’m sure theirs is next to none.

While the battle rages through, with efforts to combat the pandemic from getting out of hand, there still seems to be the critiques, the politics, the raging arguments, the blame games, stories, debates, YouTube journalists and unions all with vested interests! – they will all be there! All judgmental, with conclusions to pin the blame on the culprit or scapegoat, whoever is more convenient to get a hold of! Sadly, to say the least – that’s what our culture has become in recent times.

So let’s stop the blame games, finger pointing and making this a playground for various gains. Let the authorities and the specialists do their job.

It is sheer neglect on our part as citizens. It is our foolishness. It is our failure to adhere to the repeated calls for safety. The culprit is you and me!

Many the sinks in place for washing. And many a tap without water and many an empty bottle of detergent or soap. Stylish foot pedals no longer work. Many a mask, only for the protection of our chins! Why? Because we cared less.

Let us pause for a moment to ponder on the agony that would run through the mind of the individual that has been exposed. Let us pause to ponder on the agony of those who see their loved ones being driven away in an ambulance with beacons of red or blue into centres for quarantine. Have you had the chance to ask a mother, father, brother, or sister, whose loved one got taken away, what runs through their minds living this nightmare?

Do you have the slightest feel of what runs through a parent’s mind, whose child is taken in for treatment to a centre with no visitation? Or, know what traumatic thoughts run through the mind of a child being taken away for treatment?

While we’re at it reading our Sunday paper, we know that there’s a massive effort in operation to care for the sick and their families.

As business associates of Brandix for many years, we’re certain our fellow associates are not alone. Much is being done to ensure those affected are cared for. The organisation is working round the clock. Let us rally around the corporate in support and solidarity to cope with this situation at hand. After all, we’re all a part of the family that work and live contributing to our economy which continue to be fueled by the likes of corporates like Brandix.

Currently, the global pandemic figures are worrying, yet recoveries are many and deaths sadly still high;

Globally:

38,806,674 cases, 1,097,966 deaths, 29,158,331 recoveries.

In Sri Lanka to date:

5,170 cases, 13 deaths, 3,380 recoveries.

So, let us be thankful for small mercies and those that have recovered.

Let’s continue to pray that those affected will recover fast and return home soon. For our part, let’s be compassionate and humane and refrain from dabbling in words and expressions that are at the expense of others or detrimental to the cause. Instead let’s support the fight in every way possible for the safety and well-being of society.