The government’s decision to extend the lockdown by one more month is commendable. It is an answer to the calls of doctors, opposition members and a large chunk of the population to put the safety of the population first.

As we write, four new cases were added to the 43 new cases detected in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases up to 397 since March 5. New clusters are springing up almost everywhere where tests are being carried out. One hospital and a clinic have had to temporarily close down when the virus surreptitiously crept in. Several health workers have been infected. Some are in quarantine while others were called back to work in neonatal wards! And semantics and deceit aside, five people so far have sadly passed away after contracting Covid-19, some of whom could not even be afforded the dignity of a proper funeral.

If listening to the voice of reason is a good thing, the most important element in combating Covid-19 is still missing: a clear, honest and unambiguous communication. The daily press conferences on Covid have become a great opportunity to understand what the real meaning of confusion is. The figures of new cases are communicated in titbits, perhaps to minimise the impact on our psyche and the deaths are at times attributed to other causes when it is clear that Covid-19 was at least an aggravating factor and the ultimate cause of death! More than the confusion created, this tendency to always put politics before everything else, including the health of the nation creates a situation where the population no longer believes anything that comes out of the mouths of those in charge of speaking on behalf of the government.

The latest announcement of an extension of the lockdown has not improved that situation one little bit. If anything, it has made it even worse as people no longer know what they are allowed to do and what they are not. We have been inundated with questions as soon as the news came out!

The reason behind the confusion is the fact that those at the top are far less worried about us understanding the decisions they take than showing us that everything is under control, even if nothing actually is. Remember that not so long ago, our leaders who were going around the globe bragging to whoever would care to listen that we have the magic recipe for exterminating the virus. Where are those who were bestowing on our prime minister Godly powers that allow him to beat the most powerful virus we have seen in recent history?

Covid is perhaps not going to kill us. What will kill us is the spin-doctoring about everything being under control that has replaced the bragging about being Covid-safe and the careless attitude of those who are supposed to set the example. What will kill us is the fact that members of this government have never been able to leave the campaign trail, whatever the cost to the population. What will kill us is the sense of false complacency that those who are supposed to protect us have lulled us into. It has a very powerful virus load.

Yet, the anti-dote to that is very simple: a large dose of humility and a small dose of care – two ingredients sadly lacking at the top.