ARE WE OUR OWN WORST ENEMIES EVEN IN THIS TIME OF THE CORONAVIRUS?

Over the last few weeks, more than a few Facebook fanatics have let the STAR know in their usual literary style that our coverage of the coronavirus has been “too politics focused”—which is, of course, in itself a political statement. Last week I reported on Kenny Anthony’s Lunch Room interview with his former political attaché Calixte George Jr. “Rick leave Kenny alone! Talk about coronavirus!” was the typical reaction.

In the Eyes Wide Shut world of Facebook, every word in this paper is written by the STAR publisher, regardless of the attached byline! On Tuesday news broke of British health minister Nadine Dorries having tested positive for the coronavirus. By Wednesday, the WHO had declared it a pandemic. Later that day the NBA suspended play indefinitely, following news that Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the virus. On Thursday, the NBA community was rocked by the news that Gobert’s teammate Donavan Mitchell also tested positive.

Guy Joseph summed it up on the parliament floor on Tuesday: “People have become overnight experts on the subject. Meanwhile the world’s scientists and its most renowned experts have been humbled by the phenomenon. The world is grappling with how to deal with this disease. Italy decided first to shut down most of the country, and the following day they decide to shut down altogether. The US is having its problems with tests kits. I’m not spreading any fear. But we can only do the best we can in our situation, and try to deal with what comes up.”   

The Castries South MP turned to physics and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, according to which “the very act of measuring a phenomenon changes the phenomenon being measured in such a way as to make future readings unpredictable.” Which also applies to what we consider useful coverage of the virus. Pointless featuring information that by the time it gets published has essentially metamorphosed into fake news.

Besides, the government, through its related agencies, is providing “world class” information. Meanwhile our Facebook critics are up to their usual mischief. On Sunday it was claimed, via an established online news outlet, that the island had recorded its first COVID-19 casualty. The outlet’s representatives were forced to acknowledge the work of a ‘hacker’ hack. Again the nation was reminded to trust only the information put out by the health ministry’s chief medical officer Dr. Sharon Belmar-George.  

It is this very sort of cybercrime that prompted Prime Minister Allen Chastanet to say: “Anything you’re getting overseas . . . call up the Ministry of Health to get it clarified.” As for the mischief makers: “We are going to be using cyber technology to track down those putting out any erroneous information designed to create panic in our country.” Which, of course, invoked the ghost of Kenny Anthony’s Section 361, thankfully long dead and buried—as the prime minister will discover should he seek to keep his word, however well intentioned.