Education on all things virus is key to full recovery

There is a heavy military and police presence in what the government officials have dubbed coronavirus “hotspots”.

As I drove on the N1 from Pretoria to Johannesburg, to a large extent the streets were devoid of people.

The police and soldiers were there as I passed Soweto. It has been said if residents will not, of their own accord, remain indoors, the heavy-handed military will keep them there.

If they dare to stray outside, gather to pray or even to ply their trade as vendors, the soldiers will put a stop to it.

While the nation decries measures employed by the soldiers – the use of excessive force, the spilling of food and alcohol, the ending of gatherings with brides and grooms being sent to a cell to ponder their actions, church and prayer services interrupted with the roaring thunder of policing – the military remains resolute that the spread of this pandemic cannot continue unabated on their watch.

The ignorance and the blatant disregard of regulations aside, order has to question whether the heavy hand of the army was really necessary.

Personally, I think not.

How can people be expected to practise something if they do not understand its importance? A few flighted adverts here and there are no real substitute for proper education of the masses.

Education should have superseded enforcement. There might not have been enough time to educate on the ground, but that remains no excuse to have avoided it altogether.

As the restrictions are lifted and we navigate our way through the various levels – how informed are our people, how ready are we to practise all the necessary steps to avoid a rapid spread and reinfection?

Are our people informed enough to practise preventative measures, are they well versed enough to explain them and their importance to their children who will slowly be making their way back to schools?

My belief is that while medical personnel remain integral in fighting the disease, educators remain just as essential.

We need to teach our people.

Kekeletso Nakeli-Dhliwayo.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.