Timeline for return to normal needed

WITH concerns mounting over an increase in Covid-19 infections over the Easter holidays and a slowing down in vaccinations, it is crucial that President Cyril Ramaphosa take the nation into his confidence with regards to the state of the pandemic.

The war waged against Covid-19 will be a long one. As the country marked the first anniversary since the lockdown started, there is no clear timeline of when life will return to normalcy. This is expected as the pandemic presented the world with many unknowns. A third and fourth wave have been predicted for this year.

The need for social distancing, wearing of masks and hypervigilance remains crucial. It is also crucial for the president to present the facts to the nation, not only for the country to understand the true state of affairs, but to also limit the damaging effects of disinformation, spread largely through social media. Information during any crisis is crucial.

Disinformation creates panic, even when dispersed by those with perceivably good intentions. A project by Media Monitoring Africa that gathered complaints against platforms showed social media sites contained the bulk of disinformation and 41% of the complaints were found to be related to disinformation.

Most of the complaints were about Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook. WhatsApp is one of the most popular methods of communication, and also, one of the most personal methods of communication.

The research found that people are more trusting of what they get on WhatsApp compared to Twitter or Facebook. It is crucial for the president to present a clear plan, and communicate the decisions taken on the measures that are to be implemented during this religious holiday period.