Cost of complacency

Monday 5th October, 2020

There has been hardly any difference between Sri Lanka and the US under President Donald Trump, during the last few months, anent the COVID-19 preventive measures; caution was thrown to the wind. A police curfew has now been imposed in the Minuwangoda and Divulapitiya areas to contain the spread of COVID-19 following the detection of an infection at the community level. More than 100 persons have been placed under quarantine and contact sourcing is going on, we are told. It is hoped that the spread of the disease will be curbed. Another wave of infections is the last thing the country needs while it is still reeling from the crippling impact of the first wave.

We argued in this space, on Saturday, that having lowered its guard, the country was asking for trouble. Trouble favours those who ask for it. The absence of coronavirus infections for a couple of weeks did not mean that the pandemic was over here. Sri Lankans did not realise this and behaved as if they had beaten the virus once and for all. In New Zealand, which left nothing to chance in combating COVID-19, the second wave of infections came after a lapse of about three months.

Unfortunately, Sri Lankans and their leaders do not seem to learn from others’ experience. It was said in jest in the run-up to the last general election here that New Zealand had postponed its parliamentary polls in view of a second wave of infections, and Sri Lanka had put off the COVID-19 second wave because of its general election.

All it takes to trigger an explosive community spread of COVID-19 is a single infection in a crowded place or a bus/train. Contact tracing is possible only in a situation where there are a limited number of patients. When infections increase exponentially, it becomes well-nigh impossible to control the situation, as has been the experience of the US, India, etc.

Coronavirus has bowled over even the economic giants such as the US and China. Sri Lanka should have left no room for complacency. Its credit rating has been further downgraded, and this has made the task of attracting the much-needed FDI and drawing international loans even more difficult. It is doubtful whether the Sri Lankan economy, which is already in tatters, will survive another round of lockdowns and a breakdown in national production. The government was blissfully oblivious to the danger and did not heed warnings. If only it had remained alert.

If the government had cared to make the public adhere to the health guidelines indefinitely and ordered the police and the public health officials to enforce them strictly, the need for imposing a curfew, albeit in a couple of areas, would not have arisen. Regrettably, the government’s focus shifted from the economic and health fronts to the political front thanks to its preoccupation with the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. Power has a blinding effect on the wielders thereof and makes them take leave of their senses.

Ironically, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa almost got on top of the pandemic situation with the help of the exiting powers in the executive presidency so much so that the SLPP scored an impressive win at the last general election. Now, the President’s party has a two-thirds majority in Parliament and an all-out attempt is being made to strengthen his position, but the virus has made a comeback and had an unsettling impact on the country again. The need for the government to stay maniacally focused on the health front for the next few months or until an anti-coronavirus vaccine is found cannot be overemphasised.

Meanwhile, the government had better go flat out to prevent panic buying, the signs of which are already visible due to the curfew in Divulapitiya and Minuwangoda. Unscrupulous traders are likely to make the most of the situation and fleece the public. The country was lucky in March, when lockdowns were imposed, because there were enough stocks of essentials which had been imported to meet the traditional New Year demand. Shortages could therefore be averted. It is doubtful whether there are enough stocks at present owing to the import restrictions aimed at shoring up the country’s depleted foreign reserves and mitigating its balance of payment woes. The government must get cracking lest shop shelves should be stripped bare within the next few days.