THE feared, stronger and potentially deadlier second wave of Covid-19 infections could be prevented if citizens of KwaZulu-Natal conduct themselves as though they were still under the stricter Level 5 of the national lockdown.
This is according to KZN Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, who has also expressed her concerns about the apparent reintroduction of various forms of risky public behaviour since the country was de-escalated to Level 1.
These include rampant partying and alcohol consumption, failure to wear face masks and adhere to social distancing, as well as the smoking of the ‘Hubbly-bubbly’, also known as the ‘hookah’, which is shared by groups of people and contains harmful substances, exposing users to potential Covid-19 infection through saliva.
The MEC said while the province’s rate of infections has been on a downward spiral, there is no time to be complacent.
“We are pleading with citizens to co-operate with us, because if they don’t, we will find ourselves being hit by this second wave. The biggest challenge is that no-one knows the extent to which that second wave could affect us, though what is clear is that it is definitely stronger than the first wave. We need to get into the habit of living as though we were still in level 5 of the lockdown, even though we are at Level 1. This way we’ll be able to prevent the threat of a second wave of infections
“It is much better and safer to stay home as much as possible, and only visit elderly people when it’s absolutely necessary. This is important because sometimes younger people may be infected but asymptomatic. This does not, however, stop them from passing the virus onto the elderly, who may become sick or even die. What we are seeing at restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs is extremely concerning. You’d swear it was business as usual. It may sound light-hearted, but the truth is that we all have a responsibility to take care of our own lives,” she said.
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