‘Normal’ beckons after Covid hell

Since at least the beginning of this year, there has been light at the end of the awful tunnel which has been Covid. Finally, though, there is hope that the light is the full daylight of a return to normal life.

Health Minister Joe Phaahla has sent a letter to the MECs for health in all nine provinces, stating that the country has exited the fifth wave of the pandemic and posing the possibility that the Covid regulations could be lifted.

That would mean wearing face masks would be an individual decision and not mandatory, as it is at the moment. In addition, the regulations stipulate a 50% capacity on the number of people allowed in a venue if people are fully vaccinated, or if people can show their negative Covid-19 tests.

With those regulations tossed into the dustbin, one of the final restrictions which constricted the economy will at last be eased.

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Sport and the tourism industry, in particular, have been hard hit by the limit on the number of paying customers. Many restaurants have already gone to the wall, as have many holiday destinations. Any relaxation of the rules will be too late for them.

The anti-mask and anti-vaxx lobbies will see the lifting of the restrictions as a victory – but the reality is that there was a time when restrictions were necessary. Social distancing and mask-wearing certainly played a role in reducing rates of transmission.

However, the heavy-handed and idiotic way the militaristic National Coronavirus Command Council, along with brutal army and police units, sought to treat the emergency as a war, did far more harm than good. Never again should our bureaucrats be allowed to act this way.

However, the virus is far from vanishing, so we cannot throw caution completely to the winds. Wear masks if you feel vulnerable and keep your distance.