Weak handling of pandemic-BT poll shows
View(s):Most of the respondents in a Business Times (BT) poll on the Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic have commended the first steps taken by the authorities to contain the virus but said the latest response was inadequate.
The poll conducted by the Business Times amongst its wide readership and others, revealed what most people feared: That the government’s handling of the pandemic at the inception was exemplary but somewhere thereafter, the process weakened leading to a surge in infections.
Asked to comment on whether the government was adequately managing COVID-19, 50 per cent of the respondents said ‘No’ while 24 per cent were ‘Undecided’ and only 26 per cent said ‘Yes’.
“Initially the government was doing great. But now it appears that the situation is out of control. The government needs to be upfront about it and admit to it being able to go into another lockdown,” said one respondent.
The poll, sought to ascertain to what extent society has been affected by the pandemic, received over 250 respondents from a cross section of people.
Asked to what impact COVID-19 has affected your life, 44 per cent of the respondents said ‘To a large extent’, 32 per cent said ‘Comprehensively’ while only 24 per cent were ‘Not much’ affected.
To the question as to whether ‘your job was lost’, 82 per cent said ‘No’ while the balance said ‘Yes”. In this category some entrepreneurs having their own businesses said they had to close the business.
Asked whether their salary was reduced, 59 per cent said ‘No’ while 41 per cent said ‘Yes”. In the case of retirees and those living on interest income, it was stated that their interest income had dropped by 50 per cent owing to a sharp drop in interest rates.
Respondents blamed Ministers for appearing on TV sans masks and mingling with the masses without masks or any form of social distancing. Even this week in Parliament there was no form of social distancing and many were without masks while the Minister of Health claimed the law in this regard doesn’t apply within the Parliament!
Another respondent accused the government of hiding the actual position and said the current process lacked transparency particularly since officials vowed that there won’t be a curfew in Colombo but then announced a 3-day curfew, soon after the departure of the visiting US Secretary of State on Wednesday.