…the skies
Your Eyewitness must admit that he’s a tad leery about our airports being opened up to international traffic. Sure, he’s aware of all the precautions being taken with the pre- and post- testing; the social distancing in the planes; the sanitising and all that. And he’s thankful for them…but yet. But after reflection, he figures that his instincts are telling him that until the world really has nailed this COVID-19 virus, we can’t afford to take down our guard.
And we’re quite a ways from then, aren’t we?? We’ve heard about vaccines being tested in all the major countries – the US, UK, India, Russia, China, etc. But even at best, we’re told we’re at least a year away from getting one that might be effective. Then, of course, we’ll have to face the distribution challenge – since we have over 7.5 billion people on planet earth today! About 168 countries – not the US though – have joined a consortium under the auspices of the WHO that promise to fairly distribute any COVID-19 vaccine produced.
Based on present production facilities in place, it would seem that India will be leading the charge to produce vaccines. And it’s noteworthy that they’ve made it clear they won’t seek to make a buck out of it. But with that as background, we should realise that even though the Government has opened up the airports, this should simply signal to all of us that we now have to be even more on our guard to protect ourselves and those around us from COVID-19. There will always be the possibility that some infected person from overseas might slip through the cracks and become a new spreader.
And that’s all we need, don’t we?? In the limited forays into the public space your Eyewitness has limited himself to, it’s clear to him that most Guyanese still aren’t taking the warnings – which are all over the place – seriously. At least when it comes to wearing masks and social distancing. And if so many balk at masks, there’s no way they’ll be washing their hands as religiously as they’ve been instructed.
But we really have to get on with our lives, don’t we?? How many of us have the luxury of working remotely from home? So what we’re about to embark on is the beginning of the “new normal” – even after we finally get that vaccine. The world has been altered permanently and so many things we now see as an imposition will gradually become accepted.
The clincher will be that – as the old folks say – those who don’t hear, will feel.
But you have to be alive to feel.
…gullibility
It’s about a month and a half since the Sanctimonious Gangster threw in the towel and yelled, “No mas! No mas!” But your Eyewitness remains amazed at how Harmon’s claims of thousands of dead, departed and non-existent Guyanese being allowed to vote made them lose the elections still have currency in the PNC’s constituency.
The thing is, most of the GECOM elections officials at the 2349 polling stations were from that very same constituency!! By now your Eyewitness would’ve expected those officials to be berated by their friends and neighbours for their “betrayal” and been exposed for the PPP sleepers that they had to’ve been! Yet we don’t have a single Quisling outed!! What gives?
What all of this shows us, Dear Reader, is how gullible we become in polarised societies. We only hear what we want to hear and believe what we want to believe. And the only persons we hear and believe are “our” people!!
So don’t expect for no elections petitions hearings in the Courts to stop all the incendiary talk of “we wuz robbed!”
This will also become the new normal!
…to mercy
We’re told, “The quality of mercy is not strain’d, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.”
But it seemed to’ve missed that poor mother of four, who just sold some weed to take care of them.
