Irish Examiner View: Pandemic reflects our humanity

A woman queues to go into Clonakilty Pharmacy wearing a face mask to protect herself from Covid-19. Picture: Andy Gibson

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness... it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair …”

Charles Dickens’ words from the opening chapter of his novel A Tale of Two Cities has rarely been so apt in the modern era. We have borne witness to the best of humanity — the tens of thousands of health care workers and others who put their own safety on the line every day in the service of others.

We have experienced a winter of despair, forced indoors by an invisible enemy and, now as we approach the May bank holiday, the spring of hope emerges but it is barely a chink of light in the darkness. While the Taoiseach teases us with suggestions of a road map for easing restrictions, the gardaí will be out in force this weekend to police the 2km travel limit.

We have also seen the worst of humanity — the prejudice faced by Chinese people in Europe and the US when

coronavirus first raised its ugly head and now, the sight of Europeans and Africans being thrown out of hotels in China, many ending up on the streets.

Dickens’ words speak of chaos, conflict and despair, as well as happiness and hope — a time of extreme opposites. That is what we are now experiencing in real life.

Contrast the amazing care seen in nursing homes around Ireland and the courage displayed by staff with the tragedy of Spain where hundreds of elderly people were left to die alone and uncared for and the appalling situation in Montreal, Canada, where 31 elderly people died in a nursing home when most of the staff fled for fear of contracting Covid-19.

We have seen spirit of a different kind as well. For every business person bemoaning the lockdown and fretting about survival there are others who have seized the opportunity to change direction by delivering goods to those unable or unwilling to venture farther than their front doors.

It isn’t all about making a quick buck in a crisis, either. The prime motivation of many businesses is to help. A good example is the Irish manufacturer Combilift, best known for its range of space-saving forklifts, has drawn on its expertise to develop the Combi-Ventilate, a splitter device which turns one hospital ventilator into multiple ventilation stations.

We have seen the best of Irish individuals like Liam Casey, a Chinese-based businessman who is helping to source and quality check millions of sets of protective clothing for frontline workers in hospitals and care homes. Earlier this month, the company teamed up with U2 and several other Irish organisations to bring the PPE to Ireland.

We have, in a very short period, witnessed the contrasting styles and competencies of politicians all over the world – from the calm and quiet efficiency of Angela Merkel in Germany to the loud and raucous ravings of Donald Trump.

On this island alone, there have been contrasting approaches to the crisis, with the Northern Ireland executive led by London, even though an all-Ireland effort is the obvious way to tackle a virus that respects no borders.

These are, indeed, the best of times and the worst of times.