Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1243341
13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 MAY 2020 OPINION OVER the last weeks we have seen government focusing on what was of paramount impor- tance at this delicate juncture: our health system and the physi- cal well-being of our people. Yet I believe that while health needs to remain our priority we should not overlook other realms of our livelihood. Malta is the country perform- ing the third largest amount of swab tests per capita in the world and our strategy has been commended by the World Health Organization. We have thousands of health workers treating our patients and car- ing for their health. The active fight to find the virus and con- trol the spread is palpable. And so it may continue in order for the spread to be contained and eventually halted. However this government is not an administration which is detached from the complex- ity and multifaceted nature of the life of our citizens. Indeed, leadership in these circum- stances needs to also be in- spired and molded by the daily reality of our population. As a Cabinet of Ministers, we had the responsibility to be alert and prevent as much as possible the effect of COV- ID-19, manage the storm when it hit us, but also plan for when the ebb of the waves rescinds and the waters turn calm for us to take off with wind in our sails. It is true that we need to take tough and somewhat displeas- ing decisions in order to pre- serve national health, but we must not be removed from the cumulative and checkered ef- fect of this pandemic on every- day life. Many of us heard the saying that: 'there is no health with- out mental health', and I dare say that there wasn't a time where we have experienced this statement as clearly. Like others I have heard about the pains that solitude has brought on many in our society in these weeks were COVID-19 seemed to have taken over our lives. The intense feelings ex- perienced behind closed doors in our households, the fears of some of us ending up victims of criminal acts driven out of the despair and confusion of a few individuals; both within and outside of our home. This also needed to be dealt with, and deal with it we did. More officers were deployed on our streets and neighbor- hoods, not just to enforce so- cial distancing but to show that civil order was being upheld. Help lines were set up for those amongst us who needed to feel the presence of human empa- thy. Food-banks were set up or expanded, shops offer food for free, and families found new ways to support their loved ones. On the economic front we have also intervened diligently and as evidenced by the IMF, Moody's and Fitch report our policy in previous years to consolidate government fi- nances and growth will help us through this period. The assistance given by govern- ment was aimed at supporting those who were worse affected. Thousands of jobs were saved and further liquidity measures helped give our businesses a lifeline. Maybe for the first time we have realised how direct is the effect of the economy on our livelihood and our quality of life. Some might character- ize business and the intangible economic activity around us as just an evil that wants to harm us and the environment, but indeed business and employ- ment is also the fuel that keeps our households running. Last week we started to con- ceive, at least as a concept, the end of this bad stretch. We started to entertain the idea that indeed we should not stop ourselves from thinking of when the situation may start changing from abnormal to normal again. Such develop- ment was also confirmed via the health minister's statement that in the weeks to come Mal- ta may be able to relax a few of the restrictive measures which have been implemented if the number of new infections re- mains low and if we continue to adhere to the other remain- ing measures. This is an encouraging de- velopment, one which lightens the solemn mood that we have been in for almost two months now. A shift which could not have come at a better time. Up- holding the balance between physical and mental health, in- come and safety is not an easy feat. As a member of Cabinet I will continue highlighting this life truth of balance. I will con- tinue to subscribe to the abso- lute importance of preserving our health, but not at the risk of dismantling all the other as- pects of our life. Our health is paramount, but so is our eco- nomic livelihood, our mental wellbeing and the feeling of safety. We will win via striking the right balance, and therefore we shall lead with these truths clearly set in our minds, now and even after we put all of this behind us. Carmelo Abela To lead, and win, in balance Carmelo Abela is minister within the Office of the Prime Minister