Friday, March 20, 2020 - 11:14 Leo Olivero

Gibraltar, along with the rest of the world, is facing a number of serious daunting challenges. Our ability to withstand them, will depend in no small measure, on how today and the foreseeable future, how we react to the COVID-19 crisis!

As the coronavirus continues to spread at an alarming rate the world over. And after the World Health Organisation (WHO) last week declared a global emergency, which also contributed to a growing sense of alarm, not just in Gibraltar, now recording its first cases of the disease, but across the whole world.

The WHO warning, would have been seen more as an urgent reminder of the seriousness of the situation, than as a justification for global panic. You could also say, it was also a call, for the world’s health authorities to get cracking on the best possible protection for national populations: Gibraltar has certainly been no exception.

The Coronavirus crises presents policymakers across the globe with various quandaries on how to best manage risks. In policymaking, every decision has consequences which may also include unintended ones.

Policy making, may present different qualified opinions on various aspects and areas. But also, on the timing and logistics of decisions, which often creates opposing opinions, already the case, locally and everywhere else, who is grappling with this global health crises!

The scale of the crises is beyond most of us and knowing what to do, is more of a struggle for many others.

We know, some of the facts well enough. There’s the loss of life. But there are also some seriously important long and difficult recuperations ahead. Take the survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome, people who have and will struggle to return to breathing adequately after having been infected with the virus, and that’s just one of group in any society. These are the cold hard facts!

Then, there is the other agonising conundrum for many. Regarding disappearing jobs, business closures, paying the bills and the big one ‘feeding the family’, which already, is calamitously unfolding around the world!

People Deeply Need to Share -God Save Social Media

Then comes, the emotional impact of social isolation on people used to seeing their friends and family, enjoying a night out or attending a sporting match and even working alongside their work colleagues. All this and more are about to be tested on a huge scale.

It is not just the two weeks or so for at-risk isolation. It is potentially, the other weeks and months with nothing to do while we collectively sit out the virus. But at least, in this modern era of confinement, many will want to hail ‘God save social media’, because if it weren’t for, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Face-timing and like, where would people go to share anything:

But what we are learning - is how deeply people need to share…BUT I THINK WE KNEW THAT!