A united front important
WHEN permanent secretary for Ministry of Health and Medical Services Dr James Fong announced the staggering 180 new cases in the 24 hour period ending at 8am on Tuesday, it would have raised great interest.
In fact if that number did not raise concern then something is drastically wrong somewhere.
There were two deaths announced that day, which took the number to nine people in Fiji who have died from COVID-19. Seven of them died during this outbreak that started in April this year.
In the face of that, Acting Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu was quoted on television yesterday, urging behavioural change from the community.
He’s got a point there.
The fact that the numbers continue to rise, and are expected to climb even further should be a concern. Our battle is on a number of fronts. Unfortunately, there seem to be people who are shrugging aside the impact of the virus. There seem to be people who believe in conspiracy theories.
There are Fijians who opt to engage in dangerous behaviour. They are still drinking kava and alcohol, and sharing cigarettes. They either do not care about, or are ignorant of safety rules.
There are Fijians who disregard the impact of this dangerous virus.
They have no sense of appreciation for the need for us to fight this pandemic together as a team.
As the numbers rise, there is pressure on our system to try and bend the curve.
The last thing we want is for this variant to mutate. We do not want to see more deaths. We do not want to see our infection rate and cases overwhelm our health system.
Dr Fong has always warned us of the scenarios that could unfold should that happen.
It is serious. It is frightening. Yet we still have Fijians who have no sense of responsibility.
They are not adhering to COVID-safety protocols. They are not intimidated by the rise in numbers, and clusters around them.
We seem to be looking at a scenario that is slowly getting out of hand.
That’s the last thing we want.
This isn’t the time to panic though. We are staring at a frightening scenario, but we must stay on course, and adhere strictly to health advice.
We must play our part in the war against the virus. Please stay home if you have no reason to travel. Wear a mask if you must travel and adhere to physical distancing.
Cut out handshakes, and cut out hugs. Remain in your safe bubbles and do not allow anyone from outside your bubble to get into it.
We can fight this. We can bend the curve. But it must be done with a united front! We continue to look up to the powers that be to make tough decisions that are good for the nation. United we must!