Stay calm and don’t overreact

HOW we love a good crisis, the buying of face masks and gloves, the stockpiling of supplies of food, water and toilet paper. Of course, many South Africans may still have emergency rations in their underground bunkers left over from the civil war that didn’t happen in 1994. And some may have unused survival kits still ready for deployment following the “white genocide” that didn’t happen after the passing of (Nelson) Mandela, or the apocalypse that didn’t happen during the swine flu scare; or the world war that (US president Donald) Trump didn’t start with North Korea, and the other world war that Trump didn’t start with Iran.

I’m sure some even have half a garage full of 5-litre water bottles – because the water crisis had us counting down to “Day Zero” – until one day it rained and the whole thing was over, virtually forgotten.

And when it comes to fear-mongering, the coronavirus provides plenty of opportunity. An infected (but apparently quite healthy) South African man interviewed on TV last week, in asserting that we need to take this virus more seriously, told us that “this is beyond an emergency”.

Well, that’s about as serious as it gets – I mean, what horror lies “beyond” an emergency? And then, newspaper reports on Saturday, described an increase in infected South Africans from 150 to 202 as “nearly a doubling” of cases. It’s not, though, is it? Not even “nearly”.

The challenges we face as a community must be dealt with calmly and practically, without exaggerating the issues. I believe some people delight in hyperbole and overreaction, but the temptation to indulge in melodrama should be resisted.