“Not mentioning the Covid-19 pandemic is equivalent to trivializing it”

TYears after the monarchs took the first measures that marked the entry into the crisis of the Covid-19 epidemic, France still has not planned a day of remembrance for the victims of the pandemic. And more broadly, there is no day dedicated to those who have given everything during these three years, sometimes at the cost of health, even life, to fight the virus and the rest to keep the company functioning. . This silence is problematic. Because memory work is not just a symbolic act, it is essential to our society.

The first thing is to remember what happened so that we can learn from it. Unlike other countries, France has not received in-depth feedback on the management of this crisis, so as not to call into question the highest authorities of the state. The result is a history that continues to emphasize the role of the state in managing the crisis without questioning its validity or its consequences. This story makes invisible the role of many other actors, starting with health professionals, the so-called With essential professions, but also with associations, local government representatives… However, to prepare for the coming crisis, it is necessary to learn all the lessons. What we have just gone through is on a societal scale, not just the state.

Commemoration is a way in which individuals and groups have been able to take the initiative in a moment of great tension and establish new forms of cooperation without the state responding or disorganizing.

It is also a reminder that this crisis is not over yet, at least not for everyone. If we have learned to live with the virus, if our hospital services will no longer be overwhelmed, if the basic measures taken during the pandemic are a thing of the past, the fact remains that there are forms of despair, even social suffering, that do not only affect the bereaved families.

Recognize the value of effort

This crisis has left a deep mark, it has caused death, but it has also increased inequality, victimized students, professionals and the sick, sometimes leaving a bitter taste for everyone who applauded every evening in the spring of 2020, and then found himself thrown out. Again in anonymity and more difficult working conditions than before. While this crisis has led to an incredible outpouring of solidarity across society, it has also led to casualties, and not just related to the virus. Celebrating the pandemic also means acknowledging that its effects are not all behind us and that we are still living with this crisis and its lingering effects.