Govt’s mixed messages are not all in good faith

Looked at in a cynical way, it could be that the entire ANC leadership might be headed straight to heaven when they shuffle off this mortal coil.

Their fast-tracking to the Pearly Gates may well be because they seem to have been determined to turn South Africa aside from the twin evils of alcohol and tobacco, while at the same time driving our people closer into the bosom of religion.

The only thing which does link the actions of the government in dealing with the coronavirus crisis seems to be a desire to change the bad ways of its people – because there is no other logical, consistent explanation for their conduct and still less for the restrictions they have put into place in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

Banning the sale of cigarettes because of the alleged serious issues to do with Covid-19 makes no sense, even to those virulently opposed to smoking.

It is a well-known medical fact that any negative effects of smoking on the body can take up to 20 years to repair… so the mere weeks smokers have, in theory, been prevented from lighting up, will make absolutely no difference to their health situation.

We say in theory because it is quite clear – from anecdotal evidence and from the welter of police reports – that the illegal cigarette trade is thriving.

So, smokers are still getting their fix – although it is now more expensive and possibly some of that money is coming from what could have been spent on food for their families.

The same is true of the alcohol ban, which will have been in place for 10 weeks by the time it is lifted, in a limited way, on Monday.

It does makes sense that the ban would have helped keep open hospital facilities because some drunks hurt others in multiple ways.

However, if we accept that flimsy explanation, we must ask why the ban is being eased now, just as virus infections are starting to spike and just as hospital beds are needed more than ever?

While businesses are threatened with closure if they do not enforce strict social distancing when their workforce returns and while restaurants cannot open until Level 2 (even though they say they will put strict safety and distancing measures in place themselves), the government decides that “limited” numbers – no more than 50 people – will be allowed to gather at religious services and ceremonies.

While we agree South Africans are a religious lot and have been missing the vital fellowship these gatherings offer, did government not notice that some of SA’s hot spots – as well as the sources of some bad outbreaks overseas – were religious gatherings?

It is already possible that funerals – which have always been permitted, subject to a limit of 50 people – may have been the source of virus outbreaks, or the transmission of it from one province to another. This would seem to be making it worse.

Government emphasises that the fight against Covid-19 is now in our hands and it expects worshippers and clergy of all faiths to act responsibly.

If that is the case with churches, what is the problem, then, with applying the same restrictions to sit-down restaurants, by allowing them to resume business?

It has to be said that government’s main comorbidities are muddled thinking and mixed messaging.

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