Daily News Editorial

Religious devotion in times of pandemic

The sixth Sri Lankan struck down by COVID-19 died yesterday, while the number of infected people detected so far rose to 183. The number of ‘positives’ may be more by the time you read these words. In accordance with epidemiology experts’ assessment, the country is now in the period when the highest attrition is expected from the deadly pandemic that has much of the world in its grip.

Coincidentally, the months of April and May are a time of many religious and cultural events, beginning with Good Friday and Easter Sunday, continuing with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and then, the Vesak Poya festival, the most important holy day for Buddhists throughout the world.

Yesterday, Buddhists throughout the country observed Bak Poya but most people did so in the shelter of their homes, mindful of the current health crisis and the need to avoid gatherings. Thanks to our modern television media and Internet social media networks, the followers of the Buddha are able to associate with each other remotely and observe Sil through the several ‘live’ telecasts from temples via major television channels.

Governmental leaders, the Health authorities and the Buddhist prelates had all appealed to Buddhists not to gather at temples and shrines but to observe the Bak Poya Day at home.

Meanwhile, nationally organised ceremonies for the most important festival of Buddhism, Vesak Poya, which is due next month, have all been cancelled. The focal point for the State-organised National Vesak Festival was to have been Kalutara.

The Kalutara district, however, is one of the districts worst affected by COVID-19 with numerous rural hamlets and city neighbourhoods under full lockdown because of the presence of the dreaded epidemic. The entire Western Province, which comprise Kalutara, along with the Colombo and Gampaha districts, remains under continuous curfew, being the region with the biggest spread of the pandemic.

This is not surprising given that this region comprises not only the most densely populated region of the country but also the area which has the most complex road system and rail and bus services enabling the most rapid human movements. It is precisely such large scale and rapid human movement that has enabled the spread of COVID-19 across the world. It is those countries, including ours, that suspended such human movement earliest, that have been relatively less affected by the pandemic.

Saudi Arabia has already cancelled all pilgrimages to Mecca. Likewise, the Palestinian and Israeli governments have also cancelled pilgrimage activity in the Holy Land.

Just as much as China swiftly clamped down on human movements during the traditional Chinese New Year earlier this year and managed to considerably restrict the spread of the epidemic, Sri Lanka too has moved to cancel all such major public events that would facilitate the contagion.

By March, all sporting events were being cancelled. Many organisations did not even wait for governmental rulings but, with their own sense of responsibility to the community, cancelled or postponed numerous activities. Such voluntary action greatly helped the authorities who wanted to ensure the maximum scaling down of human movement and congregation in order to thwart the contagion.

Now, Christian Churches have all cancelled their public observance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Most churches suspended regular Sunday worship by early March mindful of the dangers of COVID-19.

The suspension of Easter festivities, has a greater poignancy this year since it will be the first anniversary of the horrific Easter Sunday bombings last April. Many Christians observing Easter this month will also be remembering the loss of their loved ones due to the terror attacks.

Nevertheless, they will be conducting prayers, other rituals and festivities within their households in strict observation of the prescribed social distancing and other anti-pandemic practices. They will not wish to experience tragic loss during this year’s Easter festival too.

Christians of all denominations across the world will be observing Good Friday and Easter Sunday in similar form due to the global pandemic. The cobbled alleys of Jerusalem in Palestine as well as the grand plazas of Rome will remain empty but, the piety of the faithful will be expressed as fervently in the seclusion of their homes. Again, the world’s television networks and social media will enable the Christian community continue with its collective observances as it has done for millennia.

The United Nations has now cancelled the World Celebration of Vesak. Thailand, the country which was due to formally host this year’s World Vesak celebration, has already announced the cancellation of all Vesak ceremonies due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The entirety of humanity seems to be voluntarily focusing their respective religious devotion in a manner most suitable for humanity’s current predicament. It is to be hoped that this religious focus on the common good continues until we finally defeat the pandemic.

The Island Editorial

Cardboard coffins

The government has drawn heavy criticism for the manner in which the bodies of some Covid-19 victims were disposed of, recently. There are two schools of thought anent this issue; one insists that the families of the deceased be allowed to perform last rites while the other opines that health guidelines should be strictly adhered, in order protect others, at the expense of funerary rituals. Attempts are being made, in some quarters, to give this sensitive issue an ethno-religious twist. This is an unfortunate situation which could have been avoided if there had been some discussions thereon among the health authorities and the political religious leaders concerned. Better late than never. 

Bereavement is an extremely sensitive issue, which should be handled carefully, even in times of crisis, but unless the spread of the coronavirus is curbed, urgently, the question of performing last rites won’t simply arise, for the number of deaths will be so high that it won’t be possible even to hold separate funerals for the victims. This is what we see in countries like Italy, Spain and the US. Corpses are being kept in refrigerator trucks, meant for transporting carcasses of farm animals, and many coffins, containing the remains of Covid-19 victims, are stacked in religious places, crematoria and elsewhere, pending disposal. Some cities in Ecuador, have run out of coffins, owing to the sheer number of Covid-19 deaths, and have had to make do with cardboard boxes, as we reported yesterday.

Not even the developed world has been able to handle the Covid-19 crisis effectively. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, afflicted with the virus, is receiving oxygen treatment, in an intensive care unit. Coronavirus has not spared even the British royal family. The vulnerability of others, especially those in the developing world, goes without saying. This is the harsh reality we must not lose sight of. Sri Lankan has put up a good fight, but it won’t be able to sustain its battle, without unstinted public support, which, unfortunately, is not at a satisfactory level, according to the health authorities.

What political, religious and community leaders should do, at this juncture, is to ensure that all Sri Lankans follow health guidelines, observe the countrywide curfew, and remain indoors, so that the virus can be beaten, once and for all. The intrepid health workers are battling the highly contagious germ, against tremendous odds, risking their lives, and those of their family members; some of them even don’t have protective gear, and, sadly, their efforts are not being appreciated the way they should be. Worse, two Public Health Inspectors have been assaulted, while on duty; some suspected Covid-19 patients move about and walk into hospitals, posing a danger to health workers and others. The worst that can happen to a country, engaged in battling coronavirus, is for its health workers to perish, or be quarantined in large numbers. Covid-19 has already killed more than 100 doctors and nurses around the world.

The only way to beat the elusive germ, and, above all, prevent the need for cardboard coffins from arising, is for every citizen to act with responsibility. It is incumbent upon all religious, political and community leaders to ensure that their followers fall in line, instead of sowing confusion, suspicion and hate.

Daily Mirror Editorial

Health Promotion in a post-Corona virus world

Wednesday 08th April, 2020

The post Coronavirus or COVID-19 world is likely to see a paradigm shift in the global order. With the pandemic exposing the vulnerability of the world despite its much hyped technological advancement, health promotion is tipped to top the development agenda of the governments as well as the international agencies. After all human race should first survive to enjoy the perks of the advancement in other spheres.

Hence it’s quite timely to explore how prepared Sri Lanka is for this evolution. Surely we have a quite a good health care system, one of the few things that we can really be proud of as a second world nation.

However health promotion is a different cup of tea. In fact many tend to get health care confused with health promotion. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion defines health promotion as the the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health. “To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, an individual or group must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment” it further states.

As such health promotion entails empowerment of individuals and communities with skills so that each individual is able to take responsibility for one’s own well-being. After all the Coronavirus pandemic has opened the eyes of everyone that while the health care system attends to the infected it is the promotion of healthy habits that save the rest of the people. It’s about each individual taking precautions including social distancing, and communities being vigilant of possible threats from outside.

While the bitter lesson of COVID-19 has made the global leaders realize the significance of making health promotion part of the global development agenda, interestingly fifteen years ago the Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion of 2005 had the same in its key commitments. Making health promotion central to global development agenda topped its list of commitments. It was followed by pledges to make it a key responsibility of all governments, a key focus of communities, civil society and the corporate sector.

Sri Lanka, it appears, has taken right steps in the direction of propagating health promotion in the higher education sector. Thanks to Prof. Diyanath Samarasinghe we became the first South Asian country to introduce Health Promotion to a local university with the introduction of a course of study at the Rajarata University. 

Today it has a department totally dedicated to this sphere of study with an experienced team of academics and medical officers. The Department of Health Promotion of the Rajarata University has already signed memoranda of understanding with seven overseas universities including the University of Sydney and York University, Canada. So far nearly 150 foreign university students have received training at the department.

However given the increased demand for the sector triggered by the corona-virus pandemic one wonders whether a single university department is adequate for this purpose. Certainly COVID-19 is not the first and the last global epidemic of this magnitude to plague the world. The rest of the world is very likely to open fully equipped universities totally dedicated for health promotion in the years to come.

Sri Lanka too undoubtedly needs a university of health promotion to gear itself for the new global challenges. It needs to introduce health promotion as a subject for school curriculum and encourage more students to pursue higher studies in this sector. The government should initiate a dialogue with the Rajarata University and help the Department of Health Promotion of the Rajarata University to evolve into a fully-fledged university located perhaps in a more central location. Each year at least a batch of thousand students should graduate from this institution keeping Sri Lanka on par with any developed country in health promotion.