The world is kneeling with the Covid-19 pandemic. Also known as the coronavirus, a global pandemic is being caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The new virus was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019; a full lockdown in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province failed to contain the outbreak. It has spread to other parts of China and around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020, and a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Since 2021, variants of the virus have appeared and become dominant in many countries, with Delta, Alpha, and Beta variants being the most virulent. As of September 7, 2021, more than 221 million cases and 4.57 million deaths have been confirmed, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history.
Mauritius has not been spared by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a reminder, Mauritius was one of the few countries in the world that was considered to be ‘Covid-free’ thanks to the strict sanitary measures put in place by the government during the first wave. But in January of this year, the virus resurfaced and since then, the health situation has become alarming. Despite the health protocols put in place and the rapid vaccination campaign of the population, the virus is spreading rapidly in society. With more than a hundred cases per day and the many deaths attributed to Covid-19, there is indeed a significant epidemic recovery in the country. The question that arises is the population worried about the epidemic recovery? We were able to collect the testimonies of a few people across the island working in different sectors who wanted to remain anonymous.
Buses are not disinfected after each trip.
L.A – A young graduate, who works in the semi-governmental sector, made us understand that the Covid situation itself is not worrying. For him, if everyone respects sanitary measures such as wearing a mask properly, social distancing, and washing hands regularly the virus will not infect us. What worries him is the attitude of people who do not take responsibility and the irrational decisions taken by the authorities, such as bus travel without social distancing containing a lot of people in a very restricted space. He also pointed out that buses are not disinfected after each trip.
On her side, O.H, a young woman, who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and works directly with the public, expressed her concern. According to her, if we believe the information made public, the virus is already present everywhere and this situation is worrying. However, we must learn to live with it by taking all the necessary precautions and avoid going out unnecessarily.
Regarding D.P.A. a woman working in the telecommunications sector said that it is true that the pandemic situation in Mauritius as well as everywhere in the world is alarming. But personally, for her, it does not worry her to this extent because the health precautions and the vaccination campaign put in place by the government help to protect the population whether at work or outside. It is by their fault to get infected by Covid-19;. They do not take against the health measures proposed by the government.
A.C, a young graduate, who finds herself unemployed because of the Covid situation, remains in the balance. “Mi Fig, Mi Raisin; I do not know whether to fear a resumption of the epidemic. It is said that at all times, we must learn to live with it because we have no choice but to accept the sad reality. Fortunately, the appearance of the vaccine is helping to curb this pandemic. From an economic point of view, however, we wonder if prices will not rise again and the labor market we talk about it? Whatever happens, you just have to keep your head above water.
For O.H, a man considered to be at risk, he is not reassured by the situation in Mauritius. We do not know where the virus is, we do not know who is infecting who. A majority of the population no longer pays attention to the health protocols put in place by the Covid-19 High-Level Committee. Even in hospitals, social distancing is not there. Waiting rooms are full of patients and no one ensures the proper functioning and implementation of the health protocols, especially in the health sector.
Vansh, a man working in the Import-Export sector, does not feel concerned by the current situation. He is not worried about the epidemic recovery because all health protocols are respected in his workplace and the company for which he is working has adopted the ‘work from home strategy’ to fight and stop the proliferation of Covid-19 in Mauritius.
“Mauritius is now on red alert for the Covid-19 situation,” says Taruna, a young woman working in the construction sector. The high cost of living in terms of food, monthly bills, construction cost, and much more. How will a low-income person survive? Prices touch the sky; in construction, prices have doubled or even more. Square tubes, steel, cement, etc… Some preferred to stop the construction of their homes and save so that they could meet their daily needs. Covid-19 has taught us one thing for sure; nothing is permanent and change is constant. Our priorities have changed since then.
The performance of the students has dropped
Working in the education sector, H. S. T, a teacher in a public college talk about the partial start of the school year (2/3 days) which was a real headache… no one was ready for this new school year in the middle of the pandemic. But fortunately, with the health protocols put in place at the school level; we were able to operate safely inside the school. But this is not the case outside because the students are reckless at the bus stop or even when they gather with friends. So even if the virus doesn’t spread to school; this is not the case after hours. In addition, because the students are at school only 2 or 3 times a day and they do not have support for the other bears to ensure that the work continues at home, the performance of the students has dropped. It should also be noted that completing the syllabus while making sure to have completed 2 end-of-term evaluations was certainly impossible to accomplish. This is the reason why most of us are behind on the syllabus… and even if teaching is provided, learning is not. Online courses 5 times a week last year were much more effective.
David, with more than thirty years of experience in the financial field, is reassured despite the serious epidemic recovery present in the country. Being already vaccinated against Covid-19, he has the luxury to work from home. So, he is not worried about the current situation because he spends his days working quietly at home away from any danger.
T. H, a young graduate who works in higher education, is not reassured by the critical situation in Mauritius. According to her, the authorities are not transparent about the Covid situation. There is confusion about the presence of the Covid-19 variants spreading within the population. Authorities say it is only a strain while other doctors say it is a new, more virulent variant. . Is full reopening of borders a good idea? The arrival of tourists fully vaccinated will be exempted from quarantine, however, being completely vaccinated does not mean that they will not carry the virus. With PCR tests, the virus is indeed detectable but there have also been false negatives in the past which is not reassuring, especially with the variants that are present all over the world. With the rise in prices for a meager salary, the lack of employment for young graduates who are often taken under contract and underpaid, nothing is going well.
