A reflection:There is no covid in Malta during the electoral campaign

 Maltese society thrives on showing different facets to people, depending on who they are and also depending on what is occurring in the country.

Covid cases are on the increase again, especially since mass gatherings have been allowed again due to Malta being in a short electoral campaign. The party leaders and political candidates held mass rallies, and threw parties, dinners and shows, depending on the candidate's pocket. Photos are strewn on social media of people next to each other, crammed in places, with no masks, and touching each other, posing for photos.  An alien from Mars  would surely think that Covid does not exist on this tiny island. However, this is far from the truth. Covid exists here and the cases are going up again.

The only place where Covid remains is in schools. That is the laughable matter in this whole saga. In schools we are forced to wear masked all the time, students have to stick to their bubbles and all the protocols are applied. It is no wonder that students are at the end of their tether and that parents are frustrated. A  parent phoned to ask why her child was punished because she had changed places with her friend. Upon hearing my stock reply that it was covid protocol, she immediately protested, saying that outside, in the weekends, everybody was having fun. How does one convince such a parent that schools are different?

Will Covid be the talk of the town again, now that the election has passed? Only time will tell. It is a sure fact that Covid is here to stay, but all precautions should be everywhere the same, for the sake of fairness- if not for anything else.

Covid and how it has affected youths

 In my job as assistant head of school, I am lucky enough to work closely with young people. I love my job, I get to know about the latest fashion trends, songs and popular slang words.

This year, I am in charge of year 9 students and these past two months since I have started caring for them have shown that Covid has left a dreadful impact on these young people's mental health. This year, I am seeing more depressed youths. When I talk to them to try and find why they are like this, one thing emerges. This is the fact that they were cut off from their friends at the beginning of the pandemic when schools closed abruptly at the beginning of March 2020. Many have been complaining of loneliness, others say that they have developed OCD conditions, still others are despairing that life can ever be the same again. This has caused great anxiety, with these 13 year olds asking me whether they will ever get to enjoy their youth without any restrictions whatsoever.

Students' mental health and well-being are very important as they also impact the students academic performance. I am grateful that I am being supported all around, I have had meetings with parents, and students are being looked after by guidance teachers. Next week, class interventions will be done in those classes which have the most number of depressed and anxious students. These interventions have been timed to happen before schools break up for the Christmas recess, to help cushion the effect that students might have if they are at home alone during the holidays. This is one small step in my journey with this cohort of students - as a school we care for their holistic development and that with time, slowly but surely, they will feel better,