Don’t let Easter sweep SA into deadly third wave
After a year of co-existing with Covid19 and being in various levels of lockdown aimed at mitigating the spread of the virus and saving lives, the memory of spending Easter 2020 in a hard lockdown may still be fresh. When we mark 365 days of being in lockdown on March 26 2021, Easter 2021 will be just a few days away.
This holiday means different things to different people. It is one of the most significant religious holidays on the Christian calendar. In SA, among other religious commemorations of the resurrection of Christ, thousands of pilgrims have — until the pandemic — made their way to Moria, holy site of the Zion Christian Church. This is also the time of a significant Jewish festival, Passover, and coincides with some Hindu religious practices. For others, this holiday is an opportunity to recoup after the beginning of a new year. However you look at it, this time of year is about family and community.
Covid-19 has left many of us feeling bereft at the thought of commemorating this holiday without the wider community and family we have come to value and hold dear.
For those of us who use this holiday to recoup from the first few months of the year, the cancellation of our holiday plans may also have impacted on our emotional and psychological wellbeing.
With SA in lockdown level 1, there may be a tendency for us to forget that the threat of infection from Covid-19 — with long-term effects and the possibility of death — is still very real. By now we also know that any drastic increases in rates of infection, impacting on families and communities in a very real way, also threaten to overwhelm the health-care sector and possibly bring more stringent restrictions aimed at protecting lives. These would necessarily affect businesses and their operations, which may again impact on employment levels.
Simply put, behaviour that does not comply with Covid-19 safety protocols — which include wearing masks properly (to cover nose and mouth) even when in the company of friends and family, avoiding large gatherings, maintaining social distance and ensuring good ventilation, especially when using public transport — threatens not only those we love and care for, but the economy and health-care sectors.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that the virus moves when people move. Therefore, in travelling to see family and friends, taking time out to enjoy some of what SA has to offer in various provinces and using the Easter holiday for self-care, it is important that we adhere to the non-pharmaceutical and behavioural interventions that are aimed at keeping us safe.
By choosing to behave responsibly and with a sense of ubuntu, where we see and value the humanity in others, we will equally be supporting the ongoing and uninterrupted functioning of the economy, which will ensure jobs are retained.
Uninterrupted economic activity will also require support from the private sector at all levels, as well as that of the transport operators that move people, both locally as they go about their activities and across provinces as they travel to visit friends and family.
Patrons of businesses and public transport must comply with Covid-19 safety protocols, seeing these as necessary for the safety of all people. None of these measures are intended just to make life uncomfortable or difficult.
As we collectively coexist alongside Covid-19, global and domestic predictions are that we could start to see a recovery only in 2022 and beyond. It is therefore incumbent upon each of us to behave responsibly to avoid any further spikes in rates of infection through the creation of super-spreader events.
This will ensure that the government does not need to introduce more stringent restrictions, which would further impact negatively on economic recovery and employment levels. At the moment, SA is seeing record unemployment, which stands at 32.5% with almost 7.2-million people unemployed. Figures released this week suggest a 10-month decline in retail trade sales, which tells a story of the limited availability of disposable income that could also be linked to rising unemployment levels.
It is not good enough to point at the government for all of this, since the economic picture has been exacerbated in Covid-19 times and the various levels of lockdown we have experienced over the year. We all have a responsibility to behave in a way that allows the economy to function and recover, thereby creating jobs and allowing people the dignity of work.
We look towards preparing for a post-Covid world as we anticipate the rollout of vaccines, but we must also come together in a social partnership to avert a third wave of the pandemic. Evidence from around the world shows that the third wave can be expected to be more serious and devastating. To date, South African fatalities number almost 55,000. This number represents the tears and pain of many families.
Each of us has the choice of whether we want to be part of contributing to more pain, tears and loss. That choice is in our hands and, more importantly, in our behaviour, each day and in each situation.
As we look forward to the forthcoming Easter holidays, let us remember to continue to wear our masks properly (to cover nose and mouth) even when in the company of friends and family, to avoid large gatherings, ensure good ventilation (especially when using public transport) and maintain social distance.
It is therefore incumbent upon each of us to behave responsibly to avoid further spikes in rates of infection