Necessary measures for the common good

War calls for discipline, speed, readiness and effectiveness. And the country, like the whole of the planet, finds itself in a state of war, a war where the odds could prove stacked against us. It is incumbent upon all of us – leaders, opinion makers and citizens – to do what is humanly possible to win this war. Given the situation we find ourselves in, the stringent restrictions on movement announced by the prime minister are necessary – unprecedented but necessary in the present circumstances – and they must be strictly adhered to by everyone in a sincere and honest manner. They are meant not to punish, but rather to protect people. It is not easy for a normal and free society to function under such controls. But these days things are anything but normal. And despite the fact that – as the prime minister himself remarked – the vast majority of people have responded by adhering to the rules, respectful of the health of others, many have not done so. These frivolous citizens have shown, with their irresponsible behavior, that they don’t realize the importance of this battle of self-restraint against the pandemic. They made the imposition of these measures inevitable to ensure the protection of the common good and the public interest. Experts tell us that the pandemic we are experiencing moves incredibly swiftly and that the immediate future will be worse, demanding instant adaptation. The scientists tell us that this virus is easily transmitted and that’s why it turned into a pandemic at lightning speed. The renowned Greek medical scientist George N. Pavlakis, head of the Human Retrovirus Section at the National Cancer Institute, outside of Washington,

DC, stresses that this particular virus is five to 10 times worse than the common flu, for which we have vaccines, drugs, and in many cases a degree of immunity. As the scientists struggle to discover more effective ways of dealing with the coronavirus, the only weapon we have is protective measures for public health and safety in the broader sense of the word. Under these circumstances, the measures announced by the government are necessary to “break the chain of infection” and provide the first line of defense.