Taxis and cigarettes: surviving lockdown

THE FIRST WEEK under lockdown is under our belts. Folks are really ,really trying to keep a stiff upper lip. Generally, folks are doing their best to make the lockdown work.

Having said that, the government has hit a bit of a bump in the road on two issues – taxis and cigarettes. The interesting thing about a crisis, it exposes faults in systems and the weakness of, what someone thought was, a good idea.

This is certainly the case with the regulations governing transportation and smoking. Interestingly, traffic accidents and smoking cause exponentially more deaths than the coronavirus.

Ironically, relaxing the regulations on both might just be the saving grace in getting people to comply with the lockdown for two more weeks.

One set of rules, those governing minibus taxis, was impractical from the beginning. The other, on cigarettes, was more punitive than protective.

At least, that was how it was perceived by the general public. Neither seemed to have a clear cut rational objective that had anything to do with the lockdown.

While the cigarette rule revision is not a done deal, the taxi rule has been relaxed. This is the regulation governing how many folks can ride in a taxi at one time. Here, the national government took the initiative, or, should I say, was responsive to the industry association.

The rules have been relaxed from the previously limited taxi capacity of 50%. That has now been relaxed to allow vehicles to carry up to 70% of capacity.

The old limit presented several problems. People that were required to go to work, even essential workers, had a hard time getting to work, and definitely getting to work on time.

The working class relies heavily on public transportation to get about.

Unlike the middle class and the infamous “one percent” that have vehicles, the working class and working poor rely on some form of public transportation to get where they need to go.

This is not simply a work issue, or a matter relevant to healthcare. With most supermarkets located in middle class suburbs, having access to transportation is essential for residents in townships and poorer neighbourhoods to access food. In addition, the lack of transportation could impact on the distribution of food to marginalised communities by small scale traders.

If the government wants everyone to stay on board in support of the corona-containment effort, there has to be a sense that some segments of the population are not being expected to carry a disproportionate share of the burden.

So, I say kudos to the government for being sensitive (and humble) enough to reverse course on an ill-advised policy.

A word to the wise: another issue that needs to come up for reconsideration, and soon, is the ban on alcohol. I’m not hating. I’m just saying, I saw the lines in front of the liquor stores in the suburbs. Those that have, got.

Given the stress this situation is causing, folks need some relief, some diversion from life under lockdown.

As the O’Jays, an American R & B group, put it, sometimes, “you got to give the people, give the people what they want”.