Who has which responsibilities?

The fight against the coronavirus is imposing considerable constraints and burdens on everyone. Politicians and celebrities are calling for social cohesion and solidarity - but some people seem to feel these calls don't apply to them. The media debate who bears which responsibilities in this crisis.

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Neue Zürcher Zeitung (CH) /

The vulnerable must protect themselves

The elderly and the vulnerable must show solidarity with the rest of society now, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung urges:

“It's clear: if senior citizens and the chronically ill are to avoid falling ill with Covid-19 and clogging the hospitals, it's above all their responsibility to do everything they can to avoid becoming infected with the virus. ... The young and healthy are less directly challenged. So this is a situation that requires the much vaunted solidarity. The main responsibility of the young and the healthy is not to infect vulnerable people. On the other hand, if they infect other young and healthy people it's hardly a problem - as long as the protective wall between the young and the old and between the healthy and the sick (even young people can have chronic diseases) functions. And that is what the rules of conduct are all about.”

Azonnali (HU) /

Older people need help, not hate

Azonnali criticises the attacks directed against pensioners who go outside despite the warnings:

“Instead of taking photos of elderly people sitting at the front of the bus even though it's forbidden, you could simply tell them that they can't sit there now. If you're at a market, you might ask them why they're there. Or you might understand that it's not that easy to give up your everyday life once your reach a certain age. Nor can we expect older people to always be up-to-date and consult credible sources. Not because they're stupid, but precisely because they're old.”

Le Courrier (CH) /

Pandemic is worsening inequality

The coronavirus crisis is hitting the most vulnerable hardest, Le Courrier writes in concern:

“The wretched of the earth - refugees, the homeless, illegal immigrants - are even more vulnerable because they are made invisible. Professions that are most relevant on the front line are often carried out by women: saleswomen, nurses, educators, teachers. In addition to social inequality, gender inequality also makes itself felt. ... And then there's the third inequality: the traditional one between north and south. Here, too, it can be predicted that medical services will be unequal. ... The huge sums that are currently being made available should be used in priority to protect the most vulnerable. As we see in the US, however, they are primarily being used to protect the interests of investors in the name of maintaining the economy.”

The Spectator (GB) /

Young people ill-prepared for crises

At least in mental terms older people are much stronger than the young, The Spectator notes:

“Today it's cooler to be a victim than to be proudly morally autonomous. We are encouraged to advertise our wounds rather than to celebrate our free-willed achievements. 'Fragile natures' are the order of the day, especially among the young, who interpret every slight as a mortal blow to their self-esteem and every disagreeable idea as an act of structural oppression. ... At a time when society really needs to pull together, when we urgently require cross-generational bravery and solidarity, will the young be up to the task?”

El Espectador (CO) /

Privileged egoists spreading the virus

The spread of the pandemic has a lot to do with neo-liberal egoism, columnist Catalina Ruiz-Navarro explains in the Colombian daily El Espectador:

“People from the upper middle and upper classes travelled irresponsibly to Latin America, even though they were aware of how dangerous the virus is for the vulnerable: for the elderly and people without good healthcare. This reveals a basic ethic which is the same as that of neoliberalism: me first, always, my comfort, my gain, my view of the world. The neoliberal ethic is individualistic and interprets freedom such that every privileged person is allowed to do what he or she wants to do without thinking of others. It is an ethic that puts capital above life.”