Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1446843
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JANUARY 2022 OPINION THERE has always been a catch with being an upright cit- izen. I guess the best example has been the sudden change of heart by the government on the vaccination requirements, and the usefulness or necessity of a vaccine pass and booster dose. Let me be very clear: I have never once doubted the impor- tance of a vaccine. Those that do, have a limited knowledge what vaccines do and act. And all those who have waged war against the vaccine have always turned out to be grossly misinformed and lacking in the appreciation of science and the facts. Malta has in general upheld COVID regulations and the huge take-up of the vaccine is a national show of appreciation for the long-lasting value of vaccination, and science itself. Most people have done their bit in supporting science and not questioning the govern- ment's agenda in its drive to vaccinate most of the popula- tion. But the last weeks have been full of contradictions. The government campaigned aggressively in the last two years for adults and teens to take the vaccine and then the booster, and for under-12s to take a double dose of the vac- cine; and then just only after a few weeks, announced that the vaccine certificate would not be a requisite and that it would not be a requirement for under-12s to show proof of vaccination. After intense cam- paigns encouraging parents to give the booster to their chil- dren, we witnessed a massive U-turn and the surprising de- cision that under-12s would be excluded from the restrictions, and not required to show a vac- cination certificate. It showed how insensitive the government was to all those parents who diligently pushed their very young children to take the vaccine. To add insult to injury, the enforcement of regulations slackened across the board. For example, in all the restau- rants I have been to, no one has asked me for the vaccination certificate. Many people have repeated the same story. This neither-here, nor-there situa- tion happens as the number of recorded deaths has increased. No matter what is said, the last weeks has seen the largest number of recorded deaths. And it seems no one is really worried or cares much. The families that have lost their loved ones are too emotionally caught up with daily life to talk of the apparent contradictions in government policy. The news of more relaxation in the COVID restrictions was understandably praised by the anti-vaxxers, represented by a motley crowd of far-rightist and some loony-leftists, some ecologists, esoteric types, and many conspiracy-theorists, and of course part of the business community. The truth is that mortalities do not seem to dampen the resolve of people to continue with their lives and not give a damn about those who die or are seriously ill because of COVID. Nothing will of course change the decisions taken at govern- ment level, to go back on their U-turn on regulations – not because of science, but simply because of electoral exigencies. If this were not enough, the other point to consider is re- lated to quarantine restrictions and the deliberate actions of so many who conceal their COV- ID infection, or who decided to flaunt quarantine rules by lying to their family, friends and the workplace. And I say this because I per- sonally experienced three con- secutive 14-day quarantines last year and I was obliged to respect the law. But I know many who did not and who simply ignored the rules and did exactly what suits them. Which goes to show that be- ing a sucker for rules and reg- ulations does not always pay off. So the next time the gov- ernment comes out with a call for voluntary vaccination in the midst of another serious medical crisis, they should not expect the public to be so un- derstanding. Let us not be sur- prised that, together with the band of anti-vaxxers, there will be normal folk who will be sim- ply unwilling to take the health authorities seriously anymore. *** Joseph Muscat on Saturday afternoon, keen to grab the Sunday headlines, went on Facebook complaining about unfair treatment to hit out at the alleged leaks from Magis- trate Gabriella Vella's inquiry. He had no qualms pointing directly at Repubblika's chief Robert Aquilina and their law- yer, the Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, for their apparent knowledge of the raid on his home. This was not vintage Muscat. Historically, he always steered clear of mentioning people by name. Now he seems to be in a fix. He also complained at the de- cision of Magistrate Marseanne Farrugia's decision to postpone a case against Maria Efimova sine die, instead of having the former Pilatus employee who gave birth to the Egrant story, extradited. Yet more importantly he declared that he wanted to see 'Il-Moviment' – Labour's so-called 2013 game-chang- ing majority – to continue to flourish, and that he would do everything to see this happen. That demolished any claim by PN pundits that he would be knee-capping Robert Abela's electoral ambitions. But Muscat tried hard to convince his audience of his true and noble intentions when carrying out a consultancy that could have landed him with a good deal of cash from a com- pany that had been directly linked to Stewards. There is no doubt in my mind that many of his admirers will agree with his argumentation. It is only his former aides and colleagues and friends who supported and believed entirely in him in the past who are aware of how lame his narrative is sounding. Perhaps the question should be: what else does Joseph Mus- cat know that he needs to keep setting the narrative out there, for his loyal followers to ration- alise the changing events that are taking place? Upstanding citizens following the rules Saviour Balzan Let us not be surprised that, together with the band of anti- vaxxers, there will be normal folk who will be simply unwilling to take the health authorities seriously anymore