Casimiro Curbelo
President of the Cabildo of La Gomera and spokesperson for ASG in the Parliament of the Canary Islands
They say pride is a capital sin. But I have to confess that I feel enormously proud of how an alarming situation in La Gomera has been dealt with. People and institutions are truly known in times of difficulty. Because it is in those moments where the wisdom, prudence and strength of things and people are valued.
Everyone already knows the story. In the context of a global alarm declared by the World Health Organization due to the Wuhan coronavirus, the first case of contagion is known on our island. And from there the health safety protocols begin to work that seek to treat the affected people, isolate the possible transmission of the virus and control those who have been in contact with the carriers. And throughout this process, the behavior of our health officials, the work of the Health institutions and the public corporations involved, has been exemplary.
We have had to live in a society that very easily falls into the clutches of alarmism and lies. With the coronavirus it has been no different. Social networks have been responsible for transmitting – with the impunity that anonymity produces – falsehoods and exaggerations that perfectly portray the evil and irresponsibility that resides in some people. Fake photos have been published – specifically a graphic montage from 2014 in tribute to the victims of the Nazi concentration camps – in which supposed pedestrians were shown lying on the ground in the middle of a large city, claiming that they were photos “banned” by the Chinese authorities. “Miraculous” remedies have been offered for the flu virus, which naturally do not serve to cure anything and in some cases pose a danger to health. And the networks have been filled with false news, such as the appearance of a supposed second case in Galicia, if not directly with mockery created by some miserable people capable of finding humor in the worst of other people's misfortunes.
That has been the worst face of the coronavirus crisis. But there is another opposite. That of the health professionals who have been involved in the treatment of the affected people to whom they have provided all possible care. That of the teams that were in charge of carrying out the investigation and detection of people who may have been in contact with the tourists in quarantine, to rule out that they could be affected by the virus. That of the teams of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of La Gomera that took charge of the coordination of all actions, that took care of providing truthful and constant information and that transmitted the tranquility of those who are doing what needs to be done in situations like the one we have experienced. That of the citizens who have trusted in this entire system placed at their service, have collaborated with them and have maintained the tranquility of their lives.
Today, we can assure that the most important issue, the health of the people affected and those of the population of our island, is guaranteed. We have acted with speed, rigor and effectiveness. But in this type of events there are other negative factors, much less important than people's health but which can cause reputational damage to a society that also lives off tourism. Neither the Canary Islands nor La Gomera have suffered them. The tranquility that has been demonstrated throughout the process, the serenity with which it has acted and the sense of effectiveness that has been perceived, rather than harming our interests, has shown everyone that we have a first-rate Health system. That we are a modern European country capable of applying, without unnecessary stridency, the protocols that require these types of alarms that from time to time put us all on alert.
In an interconnected world, where a patient can travel from one side of the planet to the other in a few hours, the difference between success and failure in containing an infection lies in the capacity for reaction and organization. That's why today I feel proud. Because we have shown that we are prepared.
