Irish Examiner View: Coronavirus legacy - Crisis has taught us some lessons

NOBODY will argue with the fact that the coronavirus pandemic is posing an enormous challenge medically, economically, and socially to every nation affected by it.

Some countries are coping with the crisis better than others by limiting the spread of the virus and keeping the number of deaths to a minimum. But, in the medium to long term, what will matter will be the way we cope with the post-crisis aftermath.

At the moment, the national focus is — quite rightly — on protecting people, and the way that is being done is by “flattening the curve”, a medical term now as familiar as the word “backstop” was a year ago.

A lot is being demanded of all of us on the basis of uncontradicted medical advice and everyone is expected to play their part.

A gloriously sunny Easter weekend is forecast, but will be far less enjoyable for most of us because we will be unable to venture more than 2km beyond our own front doors.

The most draconian powers imaginable to curtail the movement of people mean that gardaí can now instruct someone to return home. If they fail to comply, they face arrest, a fine of €2,500, or a six-month jail term.

Fighting Covid-19 is a huge challenge because the virus is a clear and present danger — but once it has passed, what then? In order for something positive to come out of this crisis, we need to focus on three things: An immediate return to a functioning democracy; getting businesses and employment back up and running; and determining how our society can function better and more fairly.

A functioning democracy includes respect for human rights and a rejection of totalitarianism.

In order to play their part in tackling this pandemic, the overwhelming majority of Irish residents have shown a willingness to give up the rights and freedoms for which their forefathers fought and died.

The danger is that the coronavirus crisis could normalise authoritarianism. That is already happening even in countries that are supposedly democracies.

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán now rules by decree and in the US, the attorney general has proposed suspending the writ of habeas corpus, among other things, on the pretext that constitutional principles are impediments to tacking the crisis.

When the pandemic is over, we must ensure a return to the rule of law. For starters, that means you don’t face six months behind bars for going to the seaside.

Jumpstarting our flatlining economy will not be an easy task, but it has to be done if we are to recover our prosperity and some semblance of normality.

Let’s not go backwards when we emerge — indeed, let’s put science and education at the heart of rebuilding Ireland’s economy. Foreign direct investment is likely to remain a key component, but that does not mean we should neglect indigenous industry.

Indeed, it is in our long-term interests to encourage and assist local entrepreneurship.

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We must also ensure that we become more self-reliant in other ways as well, especially when it comes to tacking health crises.

A team of Irish scientists has already shown the way, averting a potential Covid-19 testing crisis by developing a key test chemical that was in short supply internationally.

As one of the lead scientists on the project, Bridget Lucey of the Department of Biological Sciences at Cork Institute of Technology, put it: “We should never again assume it’s going to be OK to get products from overseas, especially in times of crisis like this pandemic.

We need to have a ‘Plan B’ to ensure that we can continue to run a quality system.”

What was most remarkable about this achievement was not just the speed, but the manner in which it was accomplished.

The breakthrough came about as a result of collaboration, under conditions of extreme urgency, between 11 scientists working in physical isolation from one another.

That sort of resolve, determination, ingenuity, and willingness to help others is being mirrored nationwide, from online groups assisting healthcare workers to local restaurants ensuring that cocooning elderly people do not go without.

The legacy of this crisis need not be a totally negative one. It can spur us on to do things better than we could have ever imagined.

A month ago, the notion of a single-tier healthcare system in Ireland was not even considered. Now we have a system based on health need, not on the ability to pay — a system worth keeping when the crisis is over.

We also have an opportunity to build on a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions brought about by the pandemic. Industrial pollution has fallen hugely and wildlife is returning across the planet.

There have been significant falls in levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a noxious gas emitted by vehicles, power plants, and industrial facilities, across China since the Covid-19 outbreak began, while carbon dioxide emissions have halved in New York.

The trauma suffered in industrialised countries could also be put to good use by making us more aware of the effects of epidemics and natural disasters in other parts of the world.

When the ebola virus ravaged West Africa in 2014, neither the media in the West nor the financial markets paid much attention because, economically, Africa didn’t matter.

If Covid-19 makes us less insular, more caring of our neighbours, more conscious of the need to protect our planet and more aware of the suffering of others, it will have served at least some worthwhile purpose.