Temper virus good news with caution

One has to have sympathy for government as it tries to manage the unprecedented coronavirus crisis … after all, there is no proverbial “playbook” from which it, or indeed any government in the world, could have got guidance.

One of the critical aspects of any programme to combat the virus and the disease it causes, Covid-19, is communication – both within the administration and its private sector partners but, perhaps even more importantly, communication with ordinary citizens.

In the beginning, there was large buy-in for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s initial three-week lockdown, including the bans on the sales of cigarettes and alcohol, as people accepted at face value his assertion that the authorities needed to “buy time” to ensure medical facilities were not overwhelmed by Covid patients.

Now, as more and more corruption related to the crisis emerges and as accusatory fingers point towards the ANC, few people believe the time which was bought was used for anything other than looting. And that makes it increasingly difficult for people to obey lockdown regulations.

But it appears as though the infection rate may be plateauing in places in SA – meaning the “first wave” could be burning itself out. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize was reluctant to say that in so many words – and understandably so.

If people think the worst is past, they will stop wearing masks, sanitising and social distancing. And we could have a huge flare-up in infections. Yet, we also need to know whether the decrease in new infections is real or because fewer tests are being done. Mkhize notes the death rate is still comparatively low and that hospitals, while busy, have beds to spare. The message is, clearly: it is too early to start partying. Safety first is the only way to truly beat this.

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