Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 09:33 Leo Olivero

Covid Hand on Human Rights Should Not be Overplayed!

Many independent UN and EU Human Rights experts have stressed that in addition to public health and emergency measures, battling the COVID-19 pandemic, must respect the fundamental human rights of every individual. An appropriate starting point for this report.

Most countries are still very much tackling the pandemic. However, some nations affected earlier are sadly seeing a resurgence of cases, which is not good news.

While most of the pandemic in Europe, appear now to be stable and on a downward trend, there are global worries about the opposite worryingly upward trajectory emerging in Africa, Central America and South America.

Unity in True Wartime Fashion Deserving of Worthy Mention in Annals of Local Modern History

From a Gibraltar perspective, we have been blessed with very few cases, with our Covid hospital wards and ICU practically empty for weeks, if not months now!!

Lockdown measures adopted by Government, hard as they (still) are, have been successful in carrying through the desired result. Though in reality, it’s nothing more than another Gibraltar national feat of ‘unity in true wartime fashion’ a monumental effort against an invisible enemy, deserving of mention in the annals of local modern history!

There are still genuine fears about the virus remaining dangerous and susceptible to human contact. Meaning, an epidemic, which luckily, we haven’t really had from a local perspective, though potentially, complacency is the greatest danger we now face moving forward.

Having said the latter, already in Gibraltar, there is increasing dissent to any further extension of measures. Particularly, as the main summer months appear on the horizon and the fact, that not everyone is convinced the ‘public health models’ used to monitor and keep track of the local Covid situation, has been accurate in any way shape or form if the many dire predictions are anything to go by. Except, for the initial decision to contain the virus, something which the community effectively took care of!

Tired of Being Home

Countries, with stay-at-home orders, or those with similar measures as our own are also increasingly frustrating citizens. People, who in the main, have been confined to their homes for weeks, even months. These are people, who understandably want to get on with their lives, but not only their lives, but their livelihoods which in many cases, is at stake.

In attempts by national governments, including our own, to flatten the curve and slow or stop the virus transmission. Life as we know or knew it, together with people’s freedom of movement and even restrictions on the freedom of a truly democratic free flowing information, have all been suspended, together with the closing of schools, businesses, even places of worship… all in the name of public safety.

It seems, all these Covid changes have been placed under a large umbrella known as a national medical emergency. Providing or handing as in our case, the Gibraltar government with the necessary flexibility to fulfil its primary mission of protecting the nation.

Nothing Beyond the Realms of Political Impossibility

The word ‘primary mission’ is important in the context of also keeping a close eye, tracking and also questioning all decisions taken. This is an important issue, and why I have highlighted the point?

There is nothing in these comments, that are ‘beyond the realms of political impossibility’. Because by combining all the preventive emergency measures imposed, then coupled, with the tolerant condition of a largely passive community, all creates a situation that potentially invites political abuse. Thus, my point, that all responses by the government to Covid-19 should be closely monitored for proportionality, necessity, and retraction of measures once the crisis is proven and obvious to be under control!