May you be decisive Mr. President
Firstly, thank you for not locking the country down Mr President. Secondly, thank you for closing schools. Wouldn’t that be the perfect timing to vaccinate teachers? Mr President, the move to close schools is brilliant, but it is more than just about keeping students away from teachers.
Therefore, we need not a plan, but execution Sir, a re letse lemao mo barutabaneng. It is common knowledge that closing schools is an opportunity for school-going children to spend their time visiting and playing with their mates. Go to Old Naledi, G-West and many other areas where children play in the streets and you will witness that.
They go to football fields and play football. It is therefore, imperative that teachers are vaccinated because there are gaps for students to continue spreading the virus while schools are closed. It is also important that the government tries by all means possible to ensure that children stay off the streets. It is of course the responsibility of the parents when children are home to do so.
But we can agree that children do not always follow orders and we still need to fight the virus by all means possible. Mr President you stated in your speech that our law enforcement officers have noticed an increase in crime and non-adherence to COVID-19 health protocols, a development which is worrisome and unfortunate.
As you said, our law enforcement officers need to take stern measures against those who break the law. As stated that these school going children are now leading the numbers of positive cases, it is time law enforcement also target them and their parents in this period of crisis to arrest the situation. We welcome your promise for more vaccines Mr President. However, we could do with much more precise information. We need to know why we have to wait for the period you say we should. We need to know why other countries are doing better than us Mr President? You spoke of economic hardships, and our purse is bleeding.
It is only through vaccination that we can then fully open up the economy. Lastly, open the liquor industry Mr President. That will go a long way in healing your heart as around 200, 000 people will have something to eat. It is a matter of enforcing the law and punishing offenders harshly. The industry is not just about beer drinking, people’s livelihoods are at stake here considering the value chain that characterise trade in alcohol and its role in the economy.
We as individuals should take responsibility for our loved ones’ health. It is time we police one another. People are disobeying COVID- 19 protocols thereby deliberately spreading the virus. It is time we realise how serious this matter is.