While the government’s new Covid related directives, which came into force yesterday, have managed to address all important areas, it is disappointingly vague and inadequate regarding public gatherings.
The guideline put a blanket ban on “All kinds of public gatherings, including social programs, political and religious events,” and the ban will continue “until further notice.” This rule, clearly meant to halt all outside gatherings, doesn’t say anything about indoor gatherings at all.
This is problematic for a number of reasons. People who had planned outdoor events already will move them indoors, which the science tells us is undoubtedly riskier, and potentially disastrous, if a sufficient number of these indoor events happen during a country-wide spike.
This begs the question: Would it have been more practical and effective to allow outdoor events, trusting the public to maintain masking, which people will be more likely to comply with compared to a home setting?
The authorities should immediately go back and further scrutinize this rule, with the aim to make it more precise and practical. As infection rates go up, it is important to do all that is necessary to restrain spread and community transmission.
But at this stage of the pandemic, it is patently clear that this will likely be a recurring phenomenon and it is not practical to suspend normal life every time a spike occurs. The government needs to find a workaround so that community spread can be prevented more effectively and without imposing stifling measures that are sure to be unsustainable. Thus, for now, the public gathering directive should be revisited into a more implementable rule.