How can we get it so wrong!

Once again I am at an impasse where I am not quite sure what is going on in the world. This past year has been one of extreme emotions where we as humans have been tested to our limits. However it is now, in 2021 that I find myself looking at the world, and the "governments" who run the world, and I cannot help but think why on earth are we allowing leaders to continue this madness.

This is not an article about environmental concern (as this is a whole other story). This is a genuine concern for leaders of the free world, systematically eliminating one section of the economy.

I am a strong believer in facts showing the way forward, so I do not understand why the facts are being ignored in favour of mass hysteria. Someone from a government who chooses to "lockdown" a country, needs to explain to me what the purpose is of their idiotic actions. I work in an industry that is busy dying out because of your actions. Your decision to do what you "think" is right, based on nothing but attempts to stay in power, and not lose the next election, is causing millions of people to stare poverty, homelessness and economic exclusion in the face.

The travel and tourism industry, and by extension the hospitality industry is the only industry that is negatively effected directly by your choices, and let's be clear here, this is your choice as humans (refusing to adhere to restrictions), and as governments (believing closing borders is the only way). Everyone else is being inconvenienced because they have to work from home and do meetings over some sort of internet program. The tourism and hospitality industry is being wiped out! You cannot take a flight online, you cannot stay in a hotel online, go on an online tour or eat online!

Considering the world population according to the Worldometer website (https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/) is 7.84 Billion people, the facts of the COVID-19 pandemic is this:

1.27% of the world population got sick with COVID-19 since the pandemic started

71.9% of these sick people recovered completely

0.027% of the world population has died of this virus

So my question is, how does it make sense to anyone, leaders, scientists, the general public, to implement measures that you argue protect 0.027% of the population, while the measures are destroying the lives, families and human dignity of 3.6% of the human workforce as one in 10 people now work directly or indirectly in the tourism industry, not even to mention the hospitality industry (f Skift https://skift.com/2016/03/27/the-travel-industry-now-supports-nearly-10-percent-of-worlds-jobs/).

Here the world should take a page from the United Arab Emirates book of governing. The government in the UAE refuse to close one of the biggest sources of income for the country that affects millions of jobs in this country. Tourism. The borders are open. The difference once again is how people react. Here we have restrictions on wearing masks, social distancing, controlled social entertainment, and people just adhere to it, now questions, no arguing, no issues around "my civil rights". The difference here is your civil right to refuse to wear a mask me3ans nothing in a pandemic where your stupidity directly threatens someone else's life. We also have a very committed society that governs others who do not adhere, asking people to wear masks, pointing out when they do not adhere. The UAE government does not suffer fools. Yes, we have an increase of COVID cases again because our borders are open, but we have people working, earning money and keeping the economy going, and feeding their families.

I do realise there will be quite a lot of people who point towards Australia and New Zealand, and how their "isolation" has almost eradicated COVID-19 in the countries. To these people I say bravo, you successfully identified a bubble. I would like to see statistics on how many travel jobs have been lost in those countries. I know for a fact that one of the biggest retail travel agencies (the only one) have shut about 80% of their branches in Australia. I am also aware of the people in my own company who have lost their jobs in Australia because of the lockdowns. Let us not forget, South Africa also "successfully" isolated for 27 years...or so it seemed...

I am not saying we should let people die and get on with it. What I am saying is stop pandering to the greater uneducated and enforce the restrictions by way of fines and deportation (like we do). I am far more interested in full jails than I am in homeless families and over 10% of the world GDP lost (Statista https://www.statista.com/statistics/1099933/travel-and-tourism-share-of-gdp/#:~:text=The%20direct%20contribution%20of%20the,of%20the%20total%20GDP%20worldwide.).

It is time for people to start taking responsibility for the leaders they elect and to stop letting a few older men and a hand full of woman make decisions on our behalf when they have no idea what they are doing themselves. It is also time for us to start acting against those uneducated people who refuse to wear masks and refuse to acknowledge any virus. Publicly shame them, refuse them service. I mean, it is wearing a mask, not like you are kidnapped, shackled, beaten and being forced to pick cotton.....And for the love of all things human, GET VACCINATED!!! Nobody is interested enough in your boring life to microchip you!

I am tired and saddened to see all the green half-moons under LinkedIn profiles of my colleagues, friends and greater network, who are being let down by the need to stay in power, and the stupidity that is "my right"!