OPINION - June and July normally herald the winter school holidays and it is a time when the circus comes to town.
It is also when Durban is usually abuzz with the Durban July and Comrades Marathon. Add to that the arrival of the greatest shoal on Earth and Durban is certainly the place to be.
But not this year. The novel coronavirus beat the sardines in arriving on our shores.
Now the Comrades has been cancelled and the July will be run without spectators.
Our children are going back to school when they should be on winter break.
The atmosphere will never be the same.
I watched a Bayern Munich football match last week being played in an empty stadium.
The game seemed less of a contest and more just passing the ball around.
The same applies to other sporting codes.
The hospitality industry in South Africa is in big trouble because of this pandemic.
From a turbulent national airline to a bankrupt rail system and half-full minibus taxis, our transport systems are in shambles.
The Durban July, which normally generates millions for the local economy, is the latest victim. The event is a must for socialites.
To run the event in an empty racecourse is beyond comprehension and unimaginable.
How will betting work for the “big day”? As with the norm of technology, everything will be online.
All you need is a bank account and a smartphone and transactions will flow each way.
There will be no bookie’s rooms or punter’s betting houses open for gamblers.
However, they can sit at home and watch the race run on television.
Many will feel incongruous but this is the reality of the situation.
Cinema too is suffering globally with big losses in India and South Africa.
There is a domino collapsing effect to a plethora of ancillary markets and service providers with these non-events, including media, hospitality (food, drink, accommodation and travel), event planners, transport and security services.
Even bigger losses are suffered by sponsors. But the biggest losers are the city’s people who are the pulse of these events.
KEVIN GOVENDER Shallcross
Daily News