COVID-19 exit strategy

By Kevin-James Fenech

Kevin is the founder and owner of JOB Search - jobsearch.mt and FENCI Consulting fenci.eu

The government needs to publish its COVID-19 Exit Plan and make it a point to move from a centralised police state type of (public health) control to one based on personal responsibility.

Come summer, I expect individuals to be able to decide for themselves the level of risk they want to exposed themselves to. We don’t have the public health authorities controlling our alcohol consumption for example, so I really see no reason why COVID-19 should be any different. Let people decide for themselves.

As the vaccine rollout accelerates, the elderly and vulnerable rendered safe, and the residual risks depreciate, the control on our lives and economy can be irreversibly restored to ‘normal’; I would add a ‘healthy normal’ since right now what we are putting up with is anything but normal e.g. breathing fresh is illegal and subject to a fine.

Failure to do so, will mean COVID-19 was the trojan to steal our liberties and freedoms. It will also mean that economic recovery will stutter which will in turn mean public finances put under immense strain.

I say all this because I sometimes get the feeling that the main protagonists in this pandemic enjoy all this power and control over ordinary citizens, something which they have amassed over a relatively short space of time. I am not necessarily referring to Malta. I think this has been a general trend all over the world.

Returning to the COVID-19 strategy, it is immensely important that the ‘digital green pass’ (as the EU is referring to it) is fast-tracked since ‘safe’ and ‘free’ movement is the only priority that matters in the post-COVID-19 landscape. This is what will kick-start the recovery.

Whilst on the point, let’s not waste time arguing or debating a ‘two tier society’ where those who have been vaccinated are first class citizens and the rest are second class citizens. The Exit Strategy I am referring to should make it crystal clear that the EU’s ‘digital green pass’ will be time barred. It is a means to an end i.e. the only way we can reclaim back our freedom and liberties, the only way we can kick-start the economic recovery and the only way we can enjoy freedom of movement within the EU, is by introducing a seamless, electronic and digitally certified ‘green pass’ during the transition period.

Since as soon as herd immunity is achieved and the threat to life is no longer as pressing as it was last year, we can phase out the obligation of a ‘digital green pass’ to travel within the EU but right now we are in a transition period whereby the vaccine exists and people are being inoculated but herd immunity is still to be achieved. Consequently, and given that EU economic recovery is desperately essential, we need in this transition period to find a solution to permit safe and free movement.

I say this with great responsibility but our economy depends very heavily on tourism and failure to support an EU driven ‘digital green pass’ or equivalent will spell disaster to us. We can’t afford a second ‘dead’ summer!

The UK government has already done this and with confidence they predict a summer of travel holidays for their citizens, hospitality industry returning to normal, stadiums full of people again (they’ve even offered to host Euro2020 this summer) and freedom + liberties restored. We need the same injection of confidence and vision here locally so business can plan for the recovery.

To be clear: I am not suggesting the ‘digital green pass’ being a permanent solution but I do think it merits being used as a solution during the transition phase and until all EU countries plus UK achieve herd immunity.

Tourism-dependent countries like Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, etc, must ensure this is executed within the next 2-3 months at the very latest. We can afford to get stuck or lost in EU bureaucracy like the EU did with the EU Joint Procurement Mechanism which in the case of COVID-19 vaccine disappointed a lot of EU governments and came a far second to the UK government which rolled out an impressive vaccination programme to the shame and embarrassment of Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen.

The COVID-19 Strategy must be simple, high-level and concise. It should also be drafted by non-medical ‘experts’ since otherwise the ‘exist’ will be saddled with covert and stealth like restrictions that recovery will be suffocated. Science has beaten COVID-19 and our medical community has done a sterling job at saving lives but we now need to save our economy since ultimately economic security and wellbeing is as important as public health wellbeing.

Please let’s plan for a post-COVID-19 strategy today!