Society’s part

The country has been put on ice, yet there are those who couldn’t care less. People who flout the law either out of a lack of discipline or to turn a profit should be severely punished.

But the collective effort to contain the pandemic will not be judged in courts of law. It will be judged by how successfully we control our and others’ anti-social behavior, like going out in public without good reason, shopping excessively or acting invincible. 

The democratic state cannot protect us from our worst selves; it cannot dictate a social conscience.