We can breathe a little
The Story Within the Story …
By Leonard Gildarie
Kaieteur News – The year 2020 will go down in Guyana history as a point where our people have been tested to their fullest.
We still have a few days before it ends … a year, that is.
In my opinion, the next six months will be crucial. Like the US collapse of 911 from the Twin Towers in New York, and the result, the events of 2020 will continue to re-live for years.
We are slowly learning to cope with a pandemic, which is far from over. The elections in Guyana and the US have rooted its DNA in our being. The keywords of ethics and morals are no longer. Instead, using the Constitution and postponement tactics have all become weapons of mass destruction unleashed upon our people.
I paid attention to how the world dealt with the Coronavirus. Many of them were gambling, and people were mistaken when they considered the pandemic as alien in Timbuktu.
At the time of writing, several countries are reporting that they have found a pervasive strain of the virus. This is not good news. In fact, it can throw our war aside and deregulate mass production and introduce vaccines.
It is expected, therefore, that we, by no stretch of the imagination are out of the woods yet.
Many parts of Britain are on lockdown with the UK government not ruling out national closure.
Many parts of Europe are reporting increasing numbers in what is a second wave.
The hospitals in California, one of the largest states in the US, are reporting large increases in numbers.
North America is in a rush and has been warned of a brutal winter, which could provide unconscious support for the virus.
Across in Canada, bordering the United States, the province of Ontario was due to close yesterday.
CTV Toronto reported that almost all non-essential businesses would remain closed until Jan. 23, nearly a month.
During the lockout period, it was reported that no public events or social gatherings were allowed indoors, except with members of the same household. All publicly-funded elementary and high schools in the province will close for personal learning until at least Jan. 11.
Under the lock-up orders, bars and restaurants are only allowed for take-out.
There is a poor prognosis. Officials said that regardless of the scenario, occupancy in Ontario’s ICUs would exceed 300 by the new year. In the worst case scenario, COVID-19 patient occupancy could exceed 1,500 by mid-January.
The above is a reflection of what is happening in the world.
There is an issue. Canada is a developed country. First world, if you will. That country has resources. Much more, per se, than what developing nations like Guyana can muster.
Herein lies the problem. I have friends and family in the islands.
Take St. Maarten for example – it won’t be next door to St. Kitts and Nevis, this small dual island with less than 100,000 people, will be getting visitors on cruise ships or yachts for the next few months. It will take a year before the island can recover to a sense of normality, if it is lucky that the ships come calling again.
I anticipate that will be a difficult one.
Simple people have much less to go on vacation.
So St Maarten’s US $ 100M harbor is in trouble. So too does his $ 100M US airport. Very few aircraft land. The stronger impact on shopping, casino and hotel life, fine dining, taxis and car rental, etc., will all be very popular. The reality is that this island has very little about it. No agriculture, nothing.
The story is the same for many islands throughout the Caribbean.
Economists will tell you more about the multiplier effects of the virus pandemic on countries.
There is one piece of good news for one country. China was predicted to overtake the United States in 2028 as the world’s largest by 2028.
Yes, the same China that the virus came from. The world was forced, ironically, to turn to China for its medical supplies to fight the virus.
You want to hear more? China is forecasting eight percent growth next year. Some cynics will say that China is rewarded.
There was deep concern in some quarters in October when the Irfaan Ali government made some bold decisions to reopen the economy.
Controlled flight at Timehri airport. Push back the curfew. To ease restrictions on passenger numbers by public transport, including water taxis.
The police simply do not have the workforce to enforce compliance.
So the Ali government had to gamble that the people will have to self-policing.
The closures were killing the country. Many businesses have folded. It will be a reboot nightmare, for them to get back on their feet.
The poor workers who lost their jobs will not get help, as before, from families in North America through the barrels and a small change from Western Union.
Payments have been a great support to thousands of families.
The pandemic has taught us some cruel lessons. We will have to adapt, if we are going to survive.
It has always been a tradition that one partner works at home.
We have to find ways to supplement our income. We have to find ways to reduce our expenses.
Saving energy, a bit of a kitchen garden, and watching our budget in general and putting a little aside for a rainy day, will have to come naturally.
This Christmas, even though Guyana is a poor country, we have seen the crowds. We had some money to spend.
That $ 25,000 helped many families.
We stayed home, with our families. We had a few drinks. We ate. Some families were struggling.
But we’re doing better than in September.
People adapt.
We can breathe a little easier now.
As 2021 comes to a close, we have to brush ourselves up. There is a lot of uncertainty.
For now, let’s breathe a little easier. We’ve made it this far.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.)