Teamwork needed to beat the virus

THE EDITOR: Collectively, the big problem TT faces with vanquishing the covid19 pandemic is that it requires a significant degree of nation cohesion, which includes large doses of sacrificing for the common good, along with trust in our Health Ministry and each other.

Now, none of the above comes easy in a country where so much of the political leadership since independence has traditionally followed our former colonial masters in practising the politics of divide and rule. So much so that the basic sense of national teamwork, of belonging to a common mission with a shared destiny, is not nearly high enough on the agenda of a majority of the population.

As a result, you regularly hear citizens expressing doubt about the competence of senior Health Ministry officials, while there are those who always assume as a matter of course that so many of their fellow citizens are out to fool, deceive and harm them.

Most of these people are reasoning largely on an individual basis. In many cases, it is not that they are neglecting their responsibilities as citizens, it simply never occurs to many of them that they are part of any collective responsibility.

The big problem here is that unless the large majority of us quickly begin to comply with all the safety protocols and get vaccinated at the earliest opportunity, covid19 will hang around for a very long time with the attendant negative health and economic effects. Your choice.

GREGORY WIGHT

Maraval