Opinion – We need more human empathy in our national policies

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has said people in England should ‘use their own judgement’ about whether to use masks. Not everyone, however, has that option.

Emergency workers, for starters, are left unheard in all of this. They can’t ‘use their own judgement’ because, when it comes to being liable to the coronavirus, it’s one of their only protections.

So why can’t our government consider every individual when it forms policies? Because sometimes what is best for the economy isn’t best for the welfare of people. In fact, it isn’t most of the time.

This week is also World Humanitarian Day. This year, the UN has decided to commemorate emergency workers who lost their lives on the frontline.

At COP26 in November, it will also ensure that the world’s most vulnerable people — in the face of the pandemic and the climate crisis — finally get a voice.

One way is through #TheHumanRace, a global movement that anyone can be a part of, drawing attention to the climate emergency and raising money for the crisis through running, cycling, walking and swimming.

The word ‘humanitarian’ can be defined as something seeking to promote human welfare. Putting humans first. Making sure those who are in need get what they need. It means taking action and finding solutions to issues that put humans in danger, such as conflict, climate change disasters, and diseases.

But when we take a step back and look at everything together — when we consider that, essentially, face masks and social distancing might mean achieving human welfare, it seems like a no-brainer to me.

Only less than a third of the respondents from the Reuters survey agreed that the UK needed to ‘learn to live’ with Covid-19 restriction-free, so how can we say that we’re channeling the majority of public interest into national decisions?

We can’t. And we certainly can’t expect things to change in one day. World Humanitarian Day could raise awareness of the issues that frontline workers face. It can certainly help us remember those who have fallen too.

But if we want real change for humanity, we’re going to have to be prepared to start putting others’ needs before our ‘freedoms’. Keeping our masks on for one more day might just save someone’s life.