Editorial | Covid-19 toll a terrible reminder that we are all in this together
- Lack of joint commitment and action in fighting the deadly virus does not bode well for a quick global recovery, with a high price being paid for the failures of individual governments
More than six months have passed since the World Health Organization belatedly declared the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. More than 32 million people have been infected, with the death toll soon to hit 1 million. Even though we know more about the pathogen, we may not necessarily know how best to curb the spread. The way forward is anything but clear.
Frustrated and fatigued by the double blow of the worst health and economic crises in years, many believe it is time we restored the pre-Covid-19 way of life and just let nature take its course. Such a notion not only has a strong appeal to those whose businesses and livelihoods have been devastated, but also governments that have failed miserably in tackling the contagion. But it ignores the threats arising from soaring daily infections in Asia, North and Latin America and some European states. For instance, Britain saw a daily record high of 6,632 cases this week. In France, more than 16,000 people were tested positive on Thursday, prompting the introduction of new restrictions in bars and restaurants in main cities. Globally, there were 2 million new cases between September 14 and 20, representing a 6 per cent rise from the previous seven-day period and a new high of weekly confirmed cases.
This is not helped when institutions and platforms set up for international cooperation are not tackling the crisis as proactively as they should. In a United Nations online meeting this week, state leaders spent more time hitting out at what they branded a haphazard global response than reassuring the world with goodwill, unity and actions.
At stake is not just the physical and economic well-being of individual nations. The past nine months have shown how an outbreak in one place can quickly develop into a crisis elsewhere. The situation in Britain has prompted the Hong Kong government to put the country on the high-risk list, under which travellers must test negative for the virus before departing for the city, and have hotels booked for quarantine. The pandemic has made the world more aware that we are more interdependent than we think. The challenge will remain until we fully realise the world is collectively paying a high price for the failures of individual governments.
