65th Year -- No. 3578 Friday, May 22, 2020 www.mauritiustimes.com facebook.com/mauritius.times 16 Pages - ePaper MAURITIUS TIMES “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” - Charles Swindoll Air Mauritius Pourquoi un traitement fiscal préférentiel pour certains? Par Aditya Narayan + Voir page 4 Une cure d'austérité serait acceptable pour tous si elle était proportionnellement juste pour chacun. Se débarrasser de ceux au bas de l'échelle pour protéger les privilèges d'une minorité serait injustifiable Interview: Sameer Sharma Has Covid-19 brought any benefits? “Recovery in economic ‘We can see the Himalayas for the first time in 30 years’ - from India to activity post Covid-19 will Venice, the beautiful side effects of the coronavirus pandemic be slow, painful and weak” Dr R Neerunjun Gopee + See Page 3 + See Pages 8-9 Steeling ourselves Operational disruptions, supply chain uncertainty and “ cash flow worries have already sent most large companies reeling. Pressure for deliberate, large-scale depreciation of our currency (in order to generate more rupees to pay our workers) will increase, pushing up inflation and the cost of living.” By Lindsay Rivière + See Pages 7-10 Mauritius Times Friday, May 22 , 2020 www.mauritiustimes.com Edit Page facebook.com/mauritius.times 2 Preparing To Overcome How do you stay safe? An expert explains how to assess risk when here is general consensus that the over 90,000 deaths. economic fallout from Covid-19 will The number of cases is now rising reconnecting with friends and family be dramatic for all countries across T across Africa, where all 54 nations have he Centers for the world. Even in the best case scenario, seen confirmed infections for a total of Disease Control and it is estimated that the cost to national over 88,000 cases and 2800 deaths, TPrevention has finally economies will be higher than that according to the Africa Centers for released new guidelines for following the 2008 economic crisis, and Disease Control and Prevention, and it is businesses, bars and losses are likely to exceed over 10% of expected that this trend will continue. schools that are considering global GDP. That will add to the lockdown- South Africa has the highest number of reopening. Although associated psychological stress and cases at over 16,400 and nearly 290 following these guidelines fatigue people everywhere are struggling deaths. Infections have increased drama- should help, it’s frustrating with. What this means is that the severity tically in Cape Town and the surrounding there hasn’t been more of the impacts of the pandemic on na- Western Cape province, which now clear, concise communica- tional economies and mental health will be accounts for 61% of South Africa's total. tion about the risk of infec- dependent on how long it lasts, the tion. And without strict guide- response marshalled by governments and Yesterday WHO reported the highest lines, it will be up to us to Cartoon - www.google how soon a vaccine is developed against number of cases worldwide till then - minimize our own risk and 106000, 45000 of which were in the US the risk of everyone around the virus. down transmission. alone. Epidemiologists have warned that us. We may not be out of the woods any there may be successive waves that will So what does it all mean? time soon according to the latest indica- As a survivor of leukemia and a bone follow intermittent periods of lockdown. I once read a quote about the com- tions of the pandemic situation in different marrow transplant, I am part of a high- mon cold from Ian Mackay, an Australian regions. In fact reports from news agen- What does all this mean for Mauritius, risk population, so my risk calculation is virologist: “The only fail-safe means of cies indicate that ‘coronavirus cases are which will see the lifting of the almost 70- likely different from yours. As my state starts to relax restrictions, I will continue avoiding a cold is to live in complete iso- spiking from India to South Africa and day lockdown on 1st June? Although the to limit my interactions with others as lation from the rest of humanity.” The Mexico in a clear indication the pandemic indications are that we are unlikely to have much as I can. same is probably true for COVID-19. is far from over’. a ‘second wave’ phenomenon, we must remember that all such projections are How do we minimize risk? But that’s not realistic. Authorities The surges come as much of Asia, made on the basis of available data and should borrow ideas from HIV prevention If the riskiest thing is to be in a crowd Europe and scores of US states have are probabilistic. The global scientific con- and focus on clear messages for harm while indoors with sick people, then it fol- been easing lockdowns to restart their sensus is that in the absence of proven reduction. In the absence of stay-at- lows the least risky behaviour is to be in economies, basing themselves on the flat- specific treatment and a vaccine, the best home orders, all of us will have to decide small groups, outdoors and to avoid sick for ourselves how much risk we are will- tening of the curve in their respective strategy to control any spread or surge is people. ing to tolerate. countries, though this cannot be and is not to apply rigorously the social distancing uniformly to the same degree in different and other sanitary measures that have I think it will help to describe a simple I’m a leukemia survivor, so I will fac- countries. But the need to get the been recommended – and one must say model of infectious disease. The rate of tor that in. You, too, will need to consider economies running anew, which basically generally been followed in Mauritius. new infections over a given time period your medical history. When I’m not in iso- means that people must work ‘to put food is called the “force of infection,” which lation, I will stack as many layers of on the table’, the lassitude of the lockdown As we open up, this is the message depends on a few things: the rate at Swiss cheese as I can to minimize any and the overwhelming urge to socialize that must be repeated 24/7 using all the which people contact each other; the risk: staying 6-10 feet away from others, have perforce been factored into the means of communication available – probability of infection given contact; and wearing masks, staying outdoors. radio, television, loudspeakers, billboards, the number of infectious individuals in a national decisions to open up. US I think these are generally common- flyers: all over, at workplaces and so on. population. autoworkers, French teachers and Thai sense guidelines for anyone. mall workers are among hundreds of thou- The leaders must give the example, and This means our ability to prevent new • If your local authorities allow small sands of employees back at work with the police must be trained to be more per- infections depends on two things: reduc- gatherings, then getting together with new safety precautions, reports suasive and less coercive not to say ing the rate at which people contact each friends who aren’t sick or who haven’t Associated Press. aggressive. And of course the frontliners in other – or reducing the probability of been in contact with other sick people the health facilities must be given all that is infection given contact. Russia reported a steady rise in new required in terms of equipment, medica- is safest outdoors. Reducing the contact rate was the infections on Tuesday, and new hot spots tions, protective gear. • Try to stay as far apart from each have emerged across the nation of about goal of stay-at-home measures. By all other as you can. 147 million. It has registered nearly 9300 If an enlightened leadership can mobi- accounts, this is still the most effective lize and inspire all citizens through per- tool to prevent new infections. • Keep a mask and hand sanitizer new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing nearby. the total to almost 300,000 infections, sonal examples of sacrifice and patriotism Other nonpharmaceutical interven- • Don’t share food or drinks. about half of them in Moscow. Russia's that are worthy of emulation, we can look tions, like face masks and hand hygiene, caseload is second only to that of the US, forward to opening up with a confidence to reduce the effective contact, or the • If anyone feels sick or has had recent which has seen 1.5 million infections and overcome. chance the virus is transmitted if there is contact with someone who feels sick, contact. Universal masking may be par- they should skip the playdate (this ticularly effective if we can’t rely on goes for adults and kids). symptomatic screening for identifying • If you are seeing someone at high infectious cases. risk of severe disease, an older Mauritius Times relative or someone with a Founder/Editor: Beekrumsing Ramlallah - Aug 1954-Sept 2000 Or maybe you’ve heard of the layers compromised immune system, take of Swiss cheese. Sometimes you have a Editor-in-chief: M. Ramlallah / Senior Editor: Dr RN Gopee even more precautions and consider This epaper has been produced with the assistance of few interventions (slices of Swiss whether you can connect with them Doojesh Ramlallah, Sultana Kurmally and Kersley Ramsamy cheese), but none is perfect (the holes). virtually. Pearl House 4th Floor Room 406 - Sir Virgil Naz Street, Port Louis But stack the slices up, and the holes Tel: 5-29 29301 Tel/Fax: 212 1313 start to cover up.