Fear of the hole

The fear returned. And this one paralyzes more than the risk itself. To the east of Macau, the war of “zero cases” follows. It surrounds everything around each outbreak; each person is isolated…. in the illusion that in the bubble you can breathe. But the animal comes in and out; hide, change; it shows itself here and there in outbreaks that make life recede. And everything closes again. The fear of the pandemic hides others: economic, political, social, who weave an invisible cage; much less golden today than it looked two years ago.

And there is fear, paralysis, dependence… It is impossible to envision the day when Macau becomes an open city again. The arguments of the Chinese thesis are understandable: from the size of the country to the weaknesses of the health system, including the political discipline itself. No one drags out such a crisis except in the name of a greater good.

What did the west do? Sealed the contagion? Far from it. Eradicated the pandemic? Don’t even think about it anymore. Live with the virus. Mass vaccination, information around the world, investment in health systems. The West is experiencing a new paradigm: high contagion; low mortality; strengthening the health system. Even with relative levity, let’s say. It might as well be more gradual; with another rigor, and more commitment in the fight against the pandemic. It is certain that in Lisbon, Paris or New York, the life line returns to its normal course. On the one hand, it shows how living with Covid-19 is possible; on the other hand, if the virus flows westward… eradicating it in the east is even more impossible.

Finally, the virus exposed a serious ailment: lack of energy, shrinkage, hiding in defense… It’s even a novelty in modern China, which is not the light that flickers to the east… This is, in fact, the darkest side of the crisis. pandemic.

*Director General of PLATAFORMA

Este artigo está disponível em: Português