Editorial
President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement concerning the Coronavirus infection rate should not be interpreted to mean that people in areas outside the Nelson Mandela Bay are free to continue doing as they please; walking about without masks, ignoring physical distancing requirements and gathering in large numbers.
Rather, the news that some restrictions are being imposed again in the district should be the spur which recommits us to doing everything possible within our spheres of influence to ensure that we do not experience a dreaded full-blown second wave.
The news that the infection rate has nearly trebled from 1 500 new cases per day in the first week of November to 4 400 a day this week should be cause for introspection, for individuals and organisations. Is our behaviour consistent with Level 1 regulations, or contributing to the pandemic?
The Nelson Mandela Bay experience, and those of the Garden Route and Sarah Baartman districts, show us what potentially lies in store if we let our guard down.
As the president said, while we are all preparing to go on holiday for a well-deserved rest from what has truly been a traumatic year for the country, the virus will not go on holiday. Rather, it will go with us wherever we go on holiday – unless we take the requisite precautions.
A full-blown second wave will likely require the country to go into a second hard lockdown, both to contain the spread of the virus and to prevent health institutions from being overrun.
This would deliver a body blow to an economy slowly recovering from the first lockdown, from which it may never recover.
The president announced that officials had been instructed to ensure compliance with the law to ensure social distancing and wearing of masks, but he did not go far enough. It being obvious that repeated warnings are insufficient to ensure compliance, he should have implemented stricter penalties for non-compliance, by individuals and organisations.
Flagrant flouting of the rules comes at huge cost: 21 803 lives and counting. Examples need to be set for the message to get through.