A fast tiring public need to be assured there is light at the end of the tunnel

IRELAND has always been a proud and stoic nation but as the Coronavirus lockdown stretches onward, a weary and frightened people find themselves in need of comfort and reassurance. From the very outset of the COVID-19 crisis the Irish public’s response has been a credit to our nation with all sectors of society rowing in behind the health service and the battle against the killer virus that threatens us.

Initial panic and shock has gradually given way to a grudging acceptance of the ‘new normal’ as people across the state muddle on and do their best to endure the nationwide house arrest.

A welcome and affirming blitz spirit has emerged across the entire country with communities rallying around to support each other and the greater fight.

The notion that Ireland is fighting an all out war against COVID-19 is palpable and it has helped gird the people for a stunning loss of personal freedom that would have been unthinkable just a few short weeks ago.

A fighting spirit is vital in such times but it carries as many risks as rewards. Wars are brutal, unforgiving and draining and now, four weeks into the crisis, signs of fatigue are starting to show.

Morale has certainly not broken down and most people remain dedicated to keeping up the struggle but some small cracks are appearing in our national facade.

More and more in recent days the conversation has switched to the end of the lockdown and what it holds in store.

While few doubt the effort and dedication of those battling the virus itself, there is a gnawing and growing fear that not enough is being done to prepare for life after Coronavirus and the next looming battle, the fight to rebuild our country from the ashes of the pandemic.

Anyone with even a shred of wit, knows the government simply isn’t in a position to say when the lockdown will be lifted. Even when it is, all reasonable people know that it will be a slow process and it will be many more weeks or months before life returns to something approaching normality.

For all that, the lack of certainty is still difficult and the lack of any information at all on what lies ahead is making many people even more fearful of what is coming after COVID than of the virus itself.

At the beginning of the crisis the government came in for considerable and justified criticism about the lack of information on the spread of the virus.

That was soon rectified with the enormous volume of information now being released on a daily basis providing a measure of certainty, if not comfort, to an anxious people.

As the government moves to the next phase of its battle, a similar open approach is needed to reassure people that when the crisis is over the country will be ready and able to rebuild.

No one is expecting all the answers but people need to know that there is some sort of plan to escape this modern existential nightmare. Fear thrives on ignorance and in these already uncertain times there is no excuse to feed it any further.