Why are western societies mishandling the pandemic?

One of the highlights of my annual calendar is time spent at my home in the English countryside and in various European countries. During my travels I have always recharged my energy ready to take on every challenge life throws my way. But this year was different.

In truth, I am deeply worried by the downhill slope much of Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States appear to be on in just about every respect. Numerous Europeans I met this year are either fearful of what tomorrow may bring or angry at the restrictions placed upon them that so far have delivered few rewards.

Reports on British, European and US television networks often instil terror into viewers’ hearts with endless mixed messages. Today, despite the start of large vaccination campaigns across several countries, these broadcasters continue spreading panic due to the appearance of a new variant of the coronavirus.

People are tired of their land borders, airports and ports being closed for business and tourism. Airlines have laid-off tens of thousands and several will surely go under. The hospitality industry is in dire straits.

Our world is an interconnected global village. Reducing countries to fortresses is the road to ruination. Open borders will save economies from collapse due to mass unemployment and will facilitate business and trade. The only requirements are that travellers must abide by safety rules and are able to show a recent virus-free certificate, hardly rocket science.

People are also sick of enforced quarantines such as that imposed upon Britons returning home with just hours’ notice. Panicked holidaymakers had to embark on a last-minute scramble to get home before the deadline. Europeans can travel to many countries without the need to self-isolate on return home but because the official travel advisories change almost daily and airline cancellations are common, they hesitate to book flights and hotels. It is time for governments to step up to save the travel industry from intensive care.

As dreadful as the coronavirus is, continuous lockdowns by nations, including the United Kingdom and other European states that reacted late to the threat allowing the virus to get a grip, are just as damaging, in my opinion even more so. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that this plague will be with us for at least two more years while so many countries are struggling to manage the second wave.

We can only imagine the horrendous effect shutting down the economy while cutting off people from their family members, friends and support systems will have especially on young people whose education has been halted along with the social interaction and sporting opportunities they crave.

Depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicides are increasing. The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that one in five people are considered to be on the threshold of depression, twice that of this time last year. A survey by Qualtrics echoes this by finding that 44.4 per cent newly remote workers said their mental health had declined since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Once the funds dedicated for stimulus packages to support small businesses and the jobless run dry, many hundreds of millions could find themselves jobless without any source of income. At the global level some 2.5 billion people risk being unemployed if economies continue to be deliberately suffocated.

When the table is bare desperate individuals turn to theft, kidnapping, the trafficking of women and children or trade in human organs to survive. The mismanagement and the politicisation of the plague will cause more distress than the disease itself. I call this nothing short of death by a thousand cuts.

According to Britain’s Food Standards Agency millions are going hungry or counted on Food banks for their basic sustenance. This is surreal in a nation that boasts its status as the 5th largest economy in the world. Food banks in the world’s wealthiest nation the US are seeing unprecedented long lines and will eventually resort to rationing. Worse, hand-in-hand with hunger goes mass homelessness.

There have been protests in many countries worldwide over coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns, among them France, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Poland and Russia. People’s patience is running out.

Both UK and US governments have placed temporary bans on evictions, but tenants live in fear that once those bans are removed, unable to pay the mounting arrears they will find themselves on the street. Parents with young children say they are experiencing feelings of dread.

With a death toll of more than 105,000 and a caseload in excess of 3,790,000 caused by arguably the most vicious virus ever known to mankind, the UK government has little to boast about. Confusing, half-hearted lockdowns imposed late in the day together with rarely enforced social distancing rules have not only permitted the virus to run riot but have also decimated the economy.

Yes, there is hardly a country that has succeeded in escaping the virus, but it seems that the citizens of the developed world are suffering more than most because many of those living in Western democracies refuse to comply with sensible social distancing rules while decrying the wearing of masks as an assault on their personal freedoms.

We must all abide by the well-known precautions and those who selfishly choose to ignore them, should incur harsh penalties. Several countries in my part of the world even some of the poorest have succeeded in balancing health requirements with economic realities. Cooperation between governments and citizens is key to keeping economies running.

The WHO tells us that for the time being we have to live with the virus which means adapting to the circumstance head on, not shutting ourselves away in the gloom wondering whether the next meal is coming from. It is up to all of us to adhere to the science and do whatever we can to keep ourselves healthy.

If ‘First World’ nations continue with their damaging policies, the results will be as grave as the aftermath of World War II. At this rate within six months some of these advanced nations will be fighting to avoid bankruptcy not to mention widespread civil unrest. They need to come up with a set-in-stone plan and the determination to reinforce it.

If China that began as Covid-19’s epicentre and is responsible for a population exceeding 1.4 billion was able to combat the virus and keep its economy on an even keel in spite of being the most populous nation on earth, then why are Western democracies lagging so far behind? Now that is a question that will surely occupy the minds of historians and social scientists for many, many years to come.