Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1216530
15 The General Workers Union also wrote to the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development to ask its chairperson, John Bencini, to hold an urgent meeting so that the govern- ment and social partners can dis- cuss the coronavi- rus in light of recent developments. Is the virus being transmit- ted from one person to anoth- er? China's national health com- mission has confirmed hu- man-to-human transmission, and there have been such such cases recorded elsewhere. How many people have been affected? As of 28 February, the out- break has affected 83,387 peo- ple globally. In mainland China, there have been 2,859 deaths mostly in the central province of Hubei. More than 36,630 people affected have already re- covered. The coronavirus has spread to at least another 56 other coun- tries. After China, South Korea has the biggest number of per- sons affected with 2,022 people and 13 deaths recorded so far. Italy is the third most affected country, with 655 persons af- fected and 17 deaths. Is Covid-19 worse than normal influenza? There is currently no data available on how dangerous the new coronavirus is. The mor- tality rate is around 2% in the centre of the outbreak in Hubei province, and less elsewhere. In comparison, seasonal flu typ- ically has a mortality rate be- low 1% and is thought to cause about 400,000 deaths each year globally. Sars had a mortality rate of more than 10%. Unlike flu, there is no vac- cine for the new coronavirus, which means it is more difficult for vulnerable members of the population – elderly people or those with existing respiratory or immune problems – to protect themselves. F r e q u e n t l y washing one's hands and a v o i d i n g contacting other peo- ple if one feels unwell is advised. People are also being encouraged to get the flu vaccine, which will reduce the burden on health services, if an outbreak occurs in Malta. Have there been other coronaviruses? Severe acute respira- tory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers) were also both caused by the corona- viruses that came from an- imals. In 2002, Sars spread almost unchecked to 37 coun- tries, causing widespread panic, and infecting more than 8,000 people, killing more than 750. Mers was less easily passed from human to human, but had a higher mortality rate, killing around 35% of the 2,500 people infected. Is the outbreak a pandemic and should we panic? Right now, WHO insists the Covid-19 outbreak is currently not a pandemic. The spread of the virus outside China is wor- rying but not an unexpected de- velopment; it has declared the outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern. The key issues are how transmissible this new corona- virus is among people, and what proportion become severely ill and end up in the hospital. Of- ten viruses that spread easily tend to have a milder impact. Generally, the coronavirus ap- pears to be hitting older people hardest, with few cases record- ed among children. WHO says that the coronavirus, howev- er, could reach most "if not all countries". maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MARCH 2020 NEWS TUESDAY, 25 February un- expectedly brought memories from a different era and place: my early childhood in post-So- viet Russia. Images of empty supermar- ket shelves and long queues that were making the rounds on Maltese national and so- cial media, widely mocked by the younger Maltese, looked strangely familiar (and not in- comprehensible) to me. Decades separate the empty shelves from my childhood and the shelves cleared in panic over a ru- moured supply short- age due to a coro- navirus outbreak in Italy. Still, there are a few striking similarities between them. Both cases reveal our fear of an un- certain future and of hav- ing nobody to rely on for help during hard times. Following the USSR collapse, life in Russia in the early '90s was about struggling with total shortage of goods and rapid inflation. Free enterprise came to replace the fixed prices in- trinsic to Soviet planned econ- omy. Anxiety and uncertainty about the future were, perhaps, the signature sentiments of the decade. While the politi- cal elites were busy disputing spheres of influence, ordinary citizens spent hours queuing for such basic products as fish, meat, butter, vegetable oil and even bread. Almost every afternoon, my grandmother and I got ab- sorbed by at least one queue, sometimes two, running from one store to another. At times, we queued in vain: products would finish before our turn, leaving us empty-handed, re- warded only by a portion of gossip from queue compan- ions. Often-times, the queues were a response to rumours of up- coming shortages. It only took a brief mention of a shop alleg- edly running out of sugar or flour, and a few moments lat- er, grandma and I were already rushing towards a nearby food kiosk, joining hundreds of oth- ers willing to stock up in the face of approaching calamity. The many hours of queuing up for food taught me more lessons than school ever did. I could witness how some of my entrepreneurial compatri- ots grew immensely rich by capitalising on others' inse- curities and fears. Entrepre- neurs promised to respond to the demand with a steady supply of goods, but in reality they saw panicked fellow cit- izens as a golden opportunity to seize. Whenever rumours spread, the prices soared up to 300 per cent and higher. We paid triple the price for substandard produce because we were uncertain whether or not it would be available a day later. Experiences of deprivation become ingrained in our col- lective memory and quickly resurface every time the fu- ture begins to seem uncertain again. A grocer next door observed a particular generational trend: people over 60 bought a higher amount of basic goods compared to younger people. The panicked shopping spree that induced over the coro- navirus scare on 25 February tells a tale of public uncertain- ty, possibly triggered by mem- ories of austerity in 1980s Malta, when supply of goods was limited and people trav- elled abroad to stock on choc- olate and toothpaste. These may be bygone times, yet the memories still persist. Alone in times of hardship The mass panic revealed an- other insecurity – that of hav- ing nobody to rely on in times of hardship. Deep down, every- one who was filling up trolleys with basic goods harboured no illusion about the time and place they inhabit. They simply understood that, in a society where nobody cares about the needs of others, their security is their own concern. Who will provide for me if the supply of essentials truly comes to a standstill? Would the authorities guarantee pro- visions of food and care? Can the neighbours be counted up- on for help in case of hardship? The answer to these questions was evident to all embarking on the spree—it is a no. The egocentric drive behind this phenomenon was also clear: even if my survivalist pur- chasing means fewer resourc- es left for others, I must think of myself first and foremost… because this is what others do. If you are drowning you are on your own. In such 'sink or swim' circumstances, tens of cartons of long life milk, canned fish, meat and vegetables, mul- tiple packs of toilet paper were a survival pack—and a psycho- logical lifeline of sorts. The most distressing chapter in this frenzied shopping tale reveals so much about con- temporary Malta—a society of atomised individuals with zero trust in fellow citizens and the state. This outcome designates the majority of us as losers, re- gardless of the content of our kitchen cabinets. The winners are shop and supermarket owners who, unexpectedly for themselves, have made great profits. In the meantime, Covid-19 is driving sales of face masks, a game called Plague, and an 'I Survived Coronavirus 2020' T-shirt. Alpha Pro Tech com- pany selling face masks in China registered a 60 per cent increase in its stock price. This is a metaphor for our capitalist societies in distress: one's mis- fortune is someone else's op- portunity. Raisa Galea is editor of IslesOfTheLeft.org Queues and empty shelves reveal our fear of an uncertain future RAISA GALEA Beyond the scare Deep down, everyone who was filling up trolleys with basic goods harboured no illusion about the time and place they inhabit... in a society where nobody cares about the needs of others, their security is their own concern