5th Column

My dear citizens of Paradise,

I thought of writing to you because these are unprecedented times which we have never seen before, even though this land of ours has seen many, many disasters both man-made and natural. While we have overcome most of those calamities, this might be our most challenging test as yet.

It is ironic that this crisis comes not from a tsunami, insurrection, a terrorist attack or even a group of fanatical suicide bombers. It comes from a tiny, invisible organism, carrying the name ‘corona virus’ that has brought the entire world to its knees, including those of us living here in Paradise.

At a time when we should have been preparing for our national New Year we have been forced in to an early ‘holiday’ mode- though this ‘holiday’ is slightly different. We can’t be visiting friends or relatives and we are being forced indoors by a curfew that could go on for a long time to come.

When the threat of the corona virus first became known, we in Paradise did very well. We even spent a special aircraft to China and got down our students stranded there. They were packed off to a quarantine centre in Diyatalawa with military precision until we knew they were safe to be let out.

Matters got a bit muddled thereafter when the powers that be had one eye on the corona virus and the other eye on the general election that had been called. There was strong suspicion that the curfew was delayed until nominations could be handed over- so the election could still go ahead as planned.

Some say that this is why government offices were kept open to accept nominations when the rest of the country- including schools- was shut down very quickly. Is it because the corona virus won’t last five years, but a two-thirds majority, if it can be obtained amidst this confusion, most certainly would!

Some thought that the threat from the virus was not as much as it was made out to be. That may be why they allowed the Royal-Thomian to go ahead, not to mention pilgrimages to Adam’s Peak. A ‘lockdown’ was out of the question: we didn’t go in to lockdown even during the war, did we?

Since then, we have come a long way. Everyone has realised that the threat is very real and we could be looking at thousands of deaths in a few weeks if we are not extremely careful in how we behave. That is why a ‘curfew’- the only language that citizens of Paradise understand- is strictly enforced.

The behaviour of our citizens when there are breaks in the curfew still leaves much to be desired because they simply don’t understand what ‘social distancing’ means. How a few others behaved after returning from Italy also left a bad taste in the mouth- and put innocent citizens in Paradise at risk.

There had been other lapses. Why those returning from Italy- where the pandemic was at its worst- were let loose on an unsuspecting public is a question many ask. Others want to know why a pastor from Switzerland was participating in mass gatherings when the need of the day is ‘social distancing’.

Despite these hiccups, we have done well for a country with limited resources at our disposal. We have had just over a hundred persons falling victim to the virus and they have been looked after very well, thanks to our doctors, nurses and their support staff. At least this time, we seem to be united.

The armed forces and the Police have done their best, working around the clock to maintain law and order ensuring the supply of essentials. The door-to-door provision of essential items to the public is a brilliant idea although some ask why a US citizen has been put in overall charge of that task force!

Thankfully, we haven’t seen many politicians meddling with the day to day running of emergency tasks which have been left to the professionals. All it takes is one politician hugging a virus victim and another from the opposing camp prescribing medication to spoil all the good work.

To his credit, Gota has handled his first real crisis quite well- and would have done even better if he didn’t have to cater to his aiya’s needs about the election. It goes without saying that if the ‘yahapaalanaya’ lot were in charge, the death toll would have been mounting sky high by now.

The corona virus has shown us, dear citizens of Paradise, that it doesn’t discriminate among nations, races or religions; it has attacked all of them with equal ferocity. In doing so however, it has also taught us that is we are not divided along those lines and stand as one, we can still defeat it.

Tough times don’t last; tough people do. As citizens of Paradise, we have been through tougher times and outlasted them. So, until the time is right, we need to wash our hands, keep our distance from each other and stay at home. By doing so, we will prevent someone’s death. It is really that simple.

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS- The corona virus spares no one- even Prince Charles is a victim. We must be very careful because it is more deadly in the elderly. Imagine all those over seventy in Paradise: Gota, Mahinda Chamal, Ranil, CBK, Vasu, Dinesh, Sampanthan. Only Maithri is younger- and that is a scary thought indeed!