Responses to the coronavirus pandemic vary by country, but there is one thing that 7 countries have in common, women leaders. From Europe to Asia, women at the helm of their countries stand out for their early intervention or for the right decisions to protect the population.
A female gaze that reveals an orientation towards people, a tendency to cooperation, the ability to act in many directions and horizontal leadership. Women’s leadership, which we have seen in times of pandemic, is inclusive, encourages participation, shares power and information with those it leads to. And they tend to create and strengthen group identities, with great empathy.
In Chile, Brazil and the United States, male leaders have put the economy and health of their population on the same plane. In Chile we have witnessed how, through the installation of the “new normal”, the government tries to convince us, with confusing messages of gradually returning to jobs, school and consumption.
Against the back of the Senate President, Adriana Muñoz and the President of the Medical College, Izquia Siches, have repeatedly expressed their apprehensions regarding the decisions of an Executive who prioritizes the revival of the economy.
In a recently published column, Adriana Muñoz stated that “we believe that signals are being given that do not correspond to the current state of the pandemic in Chile. Today we have more and more infected, many critical patients and a significant number of victims, which has reached thirteen deaths a day. Today, according to specialists – and the Government itself – we are just getting closer to the peak of the pandemic. There’s no new normal today. Today is the time of greatest risk. Today we begin to see various outbreaks in nursing homes. Today we have many health workers infected.
The new normal can lead us to a false sense of relaxation, to the perception that the pandemic passes or is overtaken, that we are leaving, that the risk decreases, that we can go out on the streets, do sports, jog, drink coffee, beer or eat a empanada, as pointed out by government health authority. This can lead to a re-outbreak, as has happened in other nations.
In turn, Izkia Siches, on behalf of the Medical College, criticized the “new normal” of the Government and noted that “we expect caution on the part of the Government”, regarding the Executive’s initiative to reopen trade gradually, as well as the return of public workers to face-to-face work and the gradual return to classes.
The doctor, one of the figures best evaluated by the public for its handling in the face of the pandemic, said: “I think this has been a new mistake in the form and substance of the Government, but that can be amended,” she said.
Another woman leader, the Mayor of La Pintana, Claudia Pizarro concerned about her people sentenced these days: “The pandemic dramatically affects the most humble people”
In an interview with CNN Chile, the building called on the government to take into account inequalities and stressed the need to decree total quarantine in the country. This, because, he says, “the population is not respecting either curfew or voluntary quarantine.”
“It’s being played in the multi-channel, people don’t become real aware,” he adds, ensuring that the 64% increase in cases in the last two days will be “problematic for the commune when we get to the end of April.”
The content poured into this opinion column is the sole responsibility of its author, and does not necessarily reflect the editorial line or position of El Mostrador.
