No more I love you’s

No more hugging. No more kissing. No more shaking of hands. The decision by religious bodies to issue precautionary measures amid the Covid19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as the call of Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh for such measures to be adopted by all, mark the unprecedented nature of this threat.

The measures should not be taken as licence, however, for panic. Instead, they should serve as reminders that we can calmly manage this situation and must act on credible advice.

Certainly, the barring of demonstrations of cordiality such as the sign of peace – a greeting which Christian worshippers are encouraged to give to one another during service – will strike many as extreme. Yet, more extreme would be the banning of all religious gatherings.

For now, a balance is being struck which preserves the right to worship while also acknowledging the unchartered territory in which we have found ourselves. TT is not unique in this regard. All over the world, churches, synagogues, and mosques are taking precautions and adjusting their worship traditions.

Communal cups have been whisked away, hand sanitisers placed in pews, communion dispensed on palms and not on the tongue. Saudi Arabia has already blocked travel to certain holy sites for foreigners, and in Italy, home of the Catholic Church, worshippers are opting to catch Mass on television from home.

Queen Elizabeth II, the titular head of the Anglican Church, wore gloves during an investiture this week, prompting speculation she was taking precautions. Such precautions would be sensible given the particular threat posed to persons over 80.

A distressing aspect of the response to the virus, however, has been the way rumour and misinformation have circulated. That, too, is a mark of the era in which we live. Though many diseases have posed a threat before, this is the first widespread global pandemic of this pedigree to occur during the age of social media.

And as has often been the case, that has proven far more problematic than useful. The constant circulation of alarmist rhetoric and, at times, misinformation has made The Boy Who Cried Wolf an even bigger problem than it was before.

To combat this, the public needs to exercise sense, needs to inform itself from reliable sources, needs to be proactive in understanding the situation which, admittedly, is already tenuous because of how much is not known.

But instead of filling the gaps with hearsay, we should simply do the best we can on the available information. We can do better than panic-buying and circulating suspect social media postings.

Indeed, now is a time to plan calmly for practices that may soon become necessary. TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce CEO Gabriel Faria has pointed to a work-from-home model.

If and when the virus appears, that will be a key option that will require some new and in-depth thinking on the part of both employers and employees and their representatives until we are able once again to demonstrate the love.