Life in the Time of Covid-19: Journal Entry One

All of a sudden we are living a life unimaginable  only a week or so ago.  It evolved slowly in a fast week.  One minute we were dismissing Covid-19 as 'just a flu' and then  days later, as we watched with horror the witness borne by many Italians of the catastrophic impact of Covid-19 on their public health systems, we were compulsively washing our hands and feeling fearful at the slightest dry cough.   

Now both Eric and I are working from home.  Finally we have set up the home office we always wanted. The boys are off school and need to be  kept busy with chores and school work.    Every nuance of our lives is under scrutiny to see how we can minimize social contact.  It's tricky with a diabetic mum  living on her own and  a granddaughter who of course we simply have to see.  

I've decided to keep a journal of sorts.  One, it helps me maintain a good frame of mind.  Two, it will be good to  have a chronicle of these remarkable times in the years to come.

Covid-19 is on the lips of many people all around the world.  A tiny virus having such a huge impact.  It knows no race or border.  It hits indiscriminately, wherever it can get to.   

In my opinion, we were  due a humbling by such a tiny pathogen.  We have become arrogant and of the idea that Planet Earth is ours for  the taking, to the detriment of many other species which have become extinct or endangered due to our irresponsible behaviour.  

I love it that we can only beat this virus if we act as a collective and not as individuals.  It's as though the gods are trying to tell us something.  Fanciful, I know, but I do like to imagine that there is some force out there imposing order when things have become impossible. ​____________________________________________________________________
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I wasn't happy to see that Dr Musumeci  was involved in the reform put forward for consultation by Lands Parliamentary Secretary Chris Agius on the regulation of estate agents and property brokers.   

​Dr Musumeci amended the legal notice on third party properties after the 3rd property collapsed in  2019.  Clearly this amendment is not worth the paper it is written on.  On the 2nd March, 2020, we had a fourth building collapse.  Miriam Pace, 54, died in the rubble of her own home.  

Konrad Xuereb - an architect working in the UK - describes  the rights of third parties, enshrined in UK law, in this Times of Malta article dated the 8th March, 2020.    For emphasis, I've enlarged and emboldened the font in the excerpt below:
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Once planning was granted, the developer had to appoint a party-wall surveyor to make sure that all the criteria set out in the UK Party Wall Act were abided to.
 A notification of the proposed works was initially sent to all affected third-party properties covered by the Act (i.e properties whose foundations lie within a 45-degree zone from the lowest perimeter of the proposed excavation). In our case, this involved four neighbouring properties.
Each affected neighbour had the right to appoint an independent party-wall surveyor and an independent structural engineer at the expense of the developer in order to safeguard their respective interests. As part of this process, we had to submit structural engineering drawings and calculations to the structural engineers representing the third-party properties affected.
Party-wall agreement was only obtained once all requirements identified by the third parties’ consultants were integrated in the project designs. Furthermore, frequency of monitoring of movement throughout the works was agreed in the party- wall award. The developer was also obliged to place bank guarantees to be accessed by the third parties in case of any damage caused to their properties. No works could commence on site until the party-wall award was granted.

  
​Did Dr Musumeci think of looking at how other countries  legislate to protect third parties  adjoining building works?  It's not rocket science, you know.  Collapsing buildings are a rare thing in many countries around the world.  I would imagine 4 collapsing buildings adjoining construction works in a matter of months is  rarer still.  

Yes, Covid-19 is on everybody's mind.  But we haven't forgotten Miriam Pace.  Or that there is the possibility of more building collapses on the cards.  Because the 2019 amendment to the legal notice on third parties is clearly not a good enough deterrent for negligent developers / contractors / architects.

So, no, it's not good that Dr Musumeci is involved in the estate agent reform.  Why on earth was he not dropped like a lead balloon by the powers that be?   Bad law riddled with loopholes kills people or makes people's lives miserable.  We need good law writers.  With no conflicts of interest .  Who do not put the interests of some powerful stakeholders over the interests of other not so powerful stakeholders.   

Our statute books are full of such law.  Do the powers that be honestly think that they can continue with this status quo?   We need to see a complete overhaul of our legislation all the way from the 21st September, 1964.    We need good, impartial law writers who take pride in their work.    Robert Musumeci clearly doesn't fit the bill.  
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