The healing power of trust
Countries that are transparent will emerge stronger from the pandemic
The anatomy of a lockdown may vary from country to country but could provide insights and solutions to a new beginning when measures are eased and people are allowed to step out of their homes. Restrictions on movement have driven people indoors which may appear like an act of temporary cowardice — they hide as the coronavirus seeks them, and when it finds them through contact, it infects and the transmission cycle continues. Lockdowns are meant to break that cycle, but they are unsustainable and there are few options before governments who are caught in a Covid-19 situation.
A measured reopening, therefore, is in the best interests of economies but how far will leaders go to put businesses back on track and revive livelihoods as the coronavirus spreads and infiltrate lives and systems? Governments stand to lose if the health situation plummets and the death toll and cases rise.
A one-size sealing off process does not fit all countries, hence lockdowns must be both flexible and credible; how to come out of a lockdown should be based on the situation on the ground. The higher the trust people have in governments, the less painful the lockdown will be, which also makes it easier for countries to emerge less bruised when the time is right.
This has been witnessed in Sweden that prides itself as a society built on trust and transparency. Institutions are held in high esteem and those who run them are experts in their respective fields. People take their civic responsibilities seriously and the government has faith in their ability to act with caution when called to do so. It’s a belief system that has worked with minimal disruptions to normal life through this crisis, though social distancing has gained ground, and the number of deaths among the elderly is the highest in Scandinavia. Welfare states like Sweden will do well overall when this pandemic is over. The country’s strategy has been piloted by Anders Tegnell, a leading epidemiologist, who hopes to buck the trend by eventually building herd immunity when 60 per cent of the population rids themselves of the virus and don’t infect others. But the ice-cool Swedish model will not work in dusty and humid India, a country of 1.3 billion, where the largest lockdown remains in force, and the degree of trust in government remains low. Politics is a divisive force and though the federal system gives autonomy to the states, they continue to seek directions from the centre. This political model could lead to delays in responding to emerging clusters at the local level. Meanwhile, the US is pursuing a Trump model that is raucous and vitriolic which defies science and common sense.
Compare this with the successful South Korean
model, the New Zealand model, and the German model that are premised on efficiency in screening, detection, and treatment. The UAE model has focused on intense national sanitisation and hygiene. Lockdowns, at the start of the pandemic, were scoffed at by most of the world. This writer called it draconian, but after more countries adopted them, they are seen as new comfort zones from where to chart modest or robust recoveries.
Countries sitting on the fence will see delayed recoveries while smart governments will ensure they buck the trend and get a head start when the worst is behind them. A little trust can go long way. Governments have a choice to dig into this reservoir of virtue like Sweden has done or start building from scratch.
Swedes take their civic responsibilities seriously and the government has faith in their ability to act with caution when called to do so