With several thousand investors, business leaders, political leaders, economists, celebrities and … [+] attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, made sure that Covid-19 precautions were in place. (Photo by Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
There’s that old saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.” So a big question is what are political and policy leaders actually doing about Covid-19 precautions for themselves right now? Many of them publicly called for an end to Covid-19 precautions. In fact, some have even argued that the pandemic is over, as I covered for Forbes in September 2022. Yet the pandemic doesn’t look too much at this annual gathering of political and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland, known as the World Economic Forum (WEF). You know the one that runs from January 16th to the 20th. Just look at the list of all the Covid-19 precautions put in place by the WEF, a list that Dr. Lucky Tran, a March for Science organizer and science communicator at Columbia University, recently shared on Twitter:
Now, if you’re someone who somehow thinks that Covid-19 precautions are no longer necessary, you might be inclined to say “WTF WEF” after seeing this WEF list. For example, the WEF still has fairly strict requirements for Covid-19 testing: “Participants are required to get tested at one of the Forum’s testing centers after arriving in Davos and picking up their badge. Taking a test will keep the badge active and grant access to the Annual Meeting locations. Failure to take an on-site test or a positive test result will result in badge deactivation.” Deactivating the badge sounds like they are taking this Covid-19 thing pretty seriously.
And apparently the WEF confronts the facts that face masks can prevent the transmission of the virus with the following requirement: “On official transport provided by the Forum, all drivers will wear masks at all times.” The WEF also offers participants free masks for face, both surgical and higher quality filtering part 2 (FFP2) masks. FFP2 masks use the European standard and are almost comparable to N95 respirators.
They also specified that “inside the Annual Meeting venues, areas will be cleaned, disinfected and aired several times per day.” Yes, that’s several times per day, which may be several times more than you’re used to at your workplace. Plus, the WEF made “air” on the side of additional ventilation: “Additional state-of-the-art ventilation systems have been installed in areas with limited air circulation.” After all, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can to be airborne, right?
Oh, and despite the fact that some political leaders and celebrities in the US and various parts of the world claim that Covid-19 vaccines don’t work, the WEF “strongly recommends that participants get vaccinated with the latest vaccines available and take the Test about Covid-19 before traveling to Davos.’ So it seems pretty clear that they believe in the vaccine.
It is clear that by implementing such precautionary measures against Covid-19, the WEF recognizes the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic is not over and that SARS-CoV-2 remains a threat. And there didn’t seem to be much resistance from those present. Where are the grand speeches against Covid-19 precautions? Where are the claims that such safeguards infringe on personal liberties? Could attendees actually support, or at least agree with, such precautions?
So why is the WEF making all this effort when many shops, restaurants, planes, trains, Uber, workplaces or even health clinics around you don’t seem to be doing the same? Is it more about them than you? Or, more specifically, is it about who is attending WEF than you? Let’s see how the type of people attending WEF in Davos might differ from you. Well, they’re not exactly your average Joe. Or Josephine.
If you’re wondering why you didn’t get an invite to Davos, maybe you weren’t special enough. WEF is not something you can crash or use a Groupon to attend. By invitation only. Attendees include several thousand investors, business leaders, political leaders, economists, celebrities and the like. Founded on January 24, 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab, the WEF is a non-profit foundation that “engages society’s most prominent political, business, cultural and other leaders to shape global, regional and industrial agendas”. as described on the WEF website. Yes, most other daily gatherings are more about shaping a pile of mashed potatoes than “shaping global, regional and industrial agendas”. So WEF Davos 2022 is clearly a collection of people who have access to resources, connections and influence that most people don’t.
It is therefore interesting to see the contrast between what is being implemented at the WEF versus what you see in places around you and hear from political and business leaders. Tran added in his tweet thread, “While the elites take all possible precautions against COVID, when they meet each other at the World Economic Forum, they go home and tell us that COVID is no longer a threat and the pandemic is over.” as you can see here:
From Twitter
From Twitter
He added: “Actions speak louder than words.”
So if you’re wondering what to do about Covid-19, maybe you should take a closer look at what political and business leaders are actually doing instead of saying. For example, do those political leaders who are pushing against Covid-19 precautions on public transport actually use public transport themselves? Are they actually at the same risk of contracting Covid-19 as ordinary people? Or are they really doing more to protect themselves? If you don’t do what leaders actually do for themselves, you could find yourself in deep doo-doo.
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