Volunteers spray disinfectant with a robot at a residential area in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on March 3, 2020. The world has entered uncharted territory in its battle against the deadly coronavirus, the UN health agency warned, as new infections dropped dramatically in China on March 3 but surged abroad with the US death toll rising to six. (Photo by STR / AFP)
An unprecedented panic has gripped the world with the global spread of the coronavirus, with several governments whose citizens have been affected, responding impulsively.
From the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand to even South Africa, countries have reacted by evacuating their citizens, some of whom have been infected.
While there has been no cases within SA, two citizens working on the Diamond Princess cruise ship which docked in Japan, have tested positive.
Government has undertaken to bring home those wishing to be repatriated from China – to reportedly be quarantined in a Free State hotel.
The challenge is that there have been cases where the disease has been able to hibernate, resurfacing days later and becoming a threat to many coming into contact with the sufferer.
To contain any further spread, China – a country with world-class medical facilities – immediately introduced a lockdown in hot spots, with everything grinding to a halt.
As Chinese ambassador to SA Lin Songtian says: “China is at war with the coronavirus.”
Whether South Africa has the Chinese capability to deal with the impact of the virus is something that remains to be seen. Sceptics like Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the SA Medical Association, who has called for strict caution for repatriated South Africans, thinks SA is not geared up. The big issue, she says, is that we are much unprepared, citing panic and misinformation.
“We need to get the message out that people have to self-contain and quarantine.
“Remember, this virus is going to come through our borders, from a ship or an airplane. It could be someone who doesn’t have symptoms, walking through,” Coetzee said. “That’s going to be a problem. It’s not a question of the virus coming, it’s a question of when.”
According to Coetzee, in 80% of cases, those infected exhibited mild symptoms. “But among them, some will be super-spreaders.”
Coetzee’s message is that since the coronavirus outbreak, we have not seen any intense public education to help us understand the impact of the virus and what to do.
Key national points of entry – borders, airports and ports – are manned by some corrupt officials. And at areas like Beitbridge, people enter SA without any medical tests being carried out.
For me, the true heroes are South Africans who have chosen to remain in China – where the coronavirus is now subsiding – instead of itching to return home to put all of us at risk.
They include Bloemfontein’s Dawn Yvonne Petzer who lives in Shenyang. She is in no rush to head back to South Africa.
“It’s better to stay here. I don’t want to be the cause of people getting sick,” she wrote on Facebook.
While being reunited with her family would have been emotionally satisfying, making a sacrifice to remain in China until fully cured has been Petzer’s decision.
To demonstrate that South Africa is a caring government, President Cyril Ramaphosa should have kept our citizens under Chinese care.
He should have supported South Africans in China by easing a line of communication with families and offered any other needed support to the Chinese government, which has shown capability in dealing with the disease.
Tough love sometimes works.
Brian Sokutu.
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