SAFETY: OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS INDIVIDUALS

THE ARRIVAL of Covid-19 more than seven weeks ago has brought fundamental changes to our daily lives. We have been forced to adopt a new way of living to protect our lives and those of others.

We have stopped doing simple everyday things such as going to the gym, restaurants, school, stadiums and visiting family and friends. We have also had to adapt to new social restrictions, which have altered the way cultural and religious practices are conducted.

The pandemic has led to a cancellation or postponement of most weddings and the suspension of initiation season, among others. The number of people who can attend a funeral has also been limited to 50.

These changes will upset a number of families who cannot physically attend funerals. For many of us, a funeral is an opportunity to give our loved ones a proper send off and to celebrate their life. It is also an opportunity to grieve and to offer support to the bereaved family.

Most families are even faced with the difficult decision as to who can attend the funeral. Those who attend funerals are also asked to observe physical distancing and avoid embracing each other and hand shaking.

Initiation schools on the other hand play an important role in building and preparing young people into adulthood. During this period, young people learn from their elders and are encouraged to treat others with respect.

While this is a big change in a short space of time, we need to understand that decisions to restrict the movement of people as well as the ban of large gatherings, which were not taken lightly. President Cyril Ramaphosa best summed up South Africa’s approach to

We must guard against complacency as we start

easing the lockdown

the pandemic as well as the rationale behind it in his address on April 23.

“From the moment we declared the coronavirus pandemic to be a national disaster on Sunday, March 15, our objective was to delay the spread of the virus. We have sought to avoid a massive surge in infections and an uncontrollable increase in the number of people needing medical care,” he said.

The latest figures as at May 5 show that at a global level, we are fast approaching the 4 million mark of positive cases, with the current tally of people infected with the coronavirus standing at 3 669 604, while 253 166 people having unfortunately succumbed to the illness.

On the African continent, we have 48 389 people infected with the virus, 7 220 of whom are South African. Of the total 1 855 deaths on the continent, 138 are South African.

South Africa has been praised by the World Health Organization for acting swiftly and delaying the spread of the virus. However, we must guard against being complacent as we begin the gradual easing of the lockdown. We should learn from other countries such as Singapore, which has been an example to the world on how to handle the pandemic.

Our levels of vigilance must be even higher as we enter winter. The virus continues to pose a grave threat. Our future is in our collective hands, we dare not fail.