argia.eus
INPRIMATU
Size of the measures
Estitxu Garai Artetxe @egarai 2020ko abenduaren 10

First measure: night life is dark, dangerous and highly contagious. Secondly, young people are irresponsible. Thirdly, the socialisation of bars is responsible for the contagion. Fourthly, there is no contagion in the workplace. Measure 5: Christmas is very important and everyone is happy to consume. The sixth measure: individuals are doing it very badly, and that's why we're so bad.

If Euskal Herria were state, we would be on the podium at European level in the number of deaths per million inhabitants. Not being an epidemiologist to pronounce on the need to take action to deal with COVID-19. However, the impetus and the way to communicate the decisions taken by the public authorities have an obvious social and political dimension.

Identifying and criminalising some areas, activities and groups is unfair. Even less when it's not based on any evidence. That some young people have had irresponsible behaviors. Of course. Like some adults. There would be contagion in bars. Of course. As many as in other workplaces.

"There is no contradiction between defending the need for even stricter measures and believing that it is necessary to judge the nature and momentum of these measures," he added.

We want to be told that there is no contagion at work. In this way, they will believe that they are protecting the economy. But from what we know about the spread of this virus, it's clear that that's not possible. The Basque Government estimates that 95% of the positives are of unknown origin. At a time when social life outside work is absolutely limited, we have to call Sherlock Holmes to clarify the case.

Individuals must be held accountable. OK. Face mask, hand washing, social distance and ventilation. We know what we have to do and we are prepared to take our own blame: responsibility is not always easy and who else less, we all have moments of relaxation or error. But above that there is a shadow of public management.

Structural problems of the health system, lack of personnel and resources, temporality, lack of primary care and privatizations, among others. As for privatization, the case of residences is paradigmatic, we have seen with crudety what it means to give way to business over welfare. Also in the management of the health crisis, taking care of the sectors most affected, we have felt time and again that the interests of the employers have been put above the health criteria.

We are suffering from severe cuts in fundamental rights. In order to reassure our conscience, it would be essential to believe that we are talking about the common good. In order to do this, it would not be wrong to be told with all the nuances of what criteria the limits set have been adopted and where we want to make an impact or what we want to avoid.

Because there is no contradiction between defending the need for even more drastic measures and believing that it is necessary to judge the nature and the momentum of these measures. Because when everyone's health is at stake and we're in shock, it's hard to keep critical.

In this reticence to the critical criterion, it is worth highlighting the work that the Basque media are doing now and always. From this corner of Argia greets you for a while. Thank you very much for the window that has been offered to us over the years. Listen to bad words and suffer what is said. Until the next wave.