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By Muna Al-Fuzai
are rife these days about the possibility of imposing a full curfew in the country. So far, nothing is confirmed, and I am only making my opinion. I personally oppose a total curfew because I believe that it will not stop the infection. I also think it will add extra pressure on us all without reaching its goal, which is to ensure social distancing and limiting gatherings. Here's why.
The Cabinet has instructed specialized teams to prepare the necessary requirements to set up plans to deal with a comprehensive curfew in all areas of the country in case the decision is officially issued. With this report, many questions emerged, such as how citizens and expats will get their food and medicine.
I hope that someone does not say that the online service is enough, because it is not, and possibly with the full curfew, deliveries will stop as well. Moreover, I don't think the need is only about food or getting medicine from the pharmacy.
For example, for several days I have been trying to communicate with a food company here and no one is answering the phone. The lines are all busy from 7 am until 4 pm, so if this is the case during the partial curfew, then what about the total one? I am also wondering what the goal of a total curfew is.
How many days would it take if approved - two or three days or a week? What is its goal? If it is to prevent the spread of infection, then it is better to focus on areas with marginal laborers or residency violators, because they gather in large numbers and the probability of infection is high. But to target the whole country - this I cannot agree or support.
Also, if the state can provide online services to deliver food to citizens, what about expatriates, especially poor families and construction workers? All these questions are important to the public and should be taken into consideration. I know that there are supporters of the ban, while others are against it. Everyone has their own opinion and I am only giving my view.
Especially since a total curfew means closing all areas and isolating them from each other, and not allowing moving between the areas throughout the day and only not during specific hours. I wonder what will be the mechanism by which food, medicine and other needs will be delivered to citizens and expats. Who will bear the costs of providing food in sufficient quantities to expats who may not have enough money? Is it possible to impose a total curfew on all areas without expecting security, health and social problems?
Since the implementation of a complete curfew in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Mahboula, we have seen some attempts to break the law, as well as chaos in receiving food and not committing to staying at home. In my view, a total curfew is unhelpful and will only put more pressure on everyone.
Experiences around the world confirm one fact - that neither a partial or total curfew will stop the virus. People's commitment to following health directives and guidelines and working to educate with media campaigns in various languages about the importance of taking all medical tips seriously and dealing with infected cases as they occur until we have a vaccine or treatment will end the virus.
