Post-pandemic life smacks of denial, but a practical approach means revisiting public health measures as well as investing in long-term change
‘The only way to avoid future lockdowns is to build more resilience into systems that have for too long worshipped to the gods of efficiency.’‘The only way to avoid future lockdowns is to build more resilience into systems that have for too long worshipped to the gods of efficiency.’Last modified on Tue 12 Jul 2022 03.25 BST
As I gave myself over to the virus, the death toll in Australia jumped over the 10,000 mark, a remarkable increase of almost 8,000 since the start of the year, although a mere drop in the ocean compared with the official global death toll of 6.35 million. This mismatch in what we say we are ready to accept and what we are actually confronting speaks to a broader ennui in our engagement with the most significant global event of our collective lives.
Of course, the only way to deal with Covid is to embrace the space between these extremes, otherwise known as “confronting reality”.Reality not only requires embracing sensible and proportionate measures to slow the spread of mutations, it also demands us to confront our over-reliance on global supply chains, imported fossil fuels and an international labour market.
For the Albanese government, a reality-based approach starts with the basic public health measures that have served us well: revisiting the need for mask mandates in higher-risk settings, rolling out further vaccines and making clear that personal freedoms come with collective responsibilities.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
A reality-based approach to the pandemic goes beyond the public health measures; it also recognises that pandemics seek out and exploit other points of weakness and fairytales that we indulge in.
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