The sharp spike in coronavirus infections in mostly the northern hemisphere as midwinter approaches offers SA a critical cautionary tale of what we could face in a few months.
That is, if we are not careful. But we can save lives and livelihoods if we continue to practise social distancing, wearing masks and sanitising.
A second wave of infections has hit the US, Europe and parts of Asia and, on Wednesday, South Australia announced a six-day lockdown in what it describes as a circuit-breaker to stop the spread of infections.
In the US, for at least 15 consecutive days, more than 100,000 daily infections have been reported. Almost 77,000 people are in hospital, according to the Covid Tracking Project, the highest number since the pandemic’s start, and the daily death toll is high, CNN reported.
France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Greece are among the countries in Europe that are either in a new lockdown or face considerably tighter restrictions on economic and social activity.
Meanwhile, in Tokyo there are plans to raise the city’s Covid-19 alert to the highest level, the Nikkei newspaper reported, as coronavirus cases spread across Japan at a record pace. This could mean businesses may be required to shorten operating hours.
Year-end parties, family gatherings and special celebrations need not result in 2021 being even worse than the year we can’t wait to see the back of.
CNN reported that governments and central banks have promised to shell out $19.5-trillion (about R300-trillion) since the coronavirus erupted to “put a floor under the world economy”, according to the International Monetary Fund.
But in SA, where support has been through loan-guarantee schemes, TERS/UIF payments, top-ups to social grants and lower interest rates, there is not much more, if any, room to manoeuvre.
SA is still bearing the brunt of the hard lockdown and continued restrictions. Millions of jobs have been lost, businesses have collapsed and with that many citizens’ aspirations.
According to Media Hack’s Coronavirus Dashboard, SA has more than 750,000 confirmed cases and more than 20,000 deaths.
Recent data shows that in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, based on a seven-day average, new confirmed cases are rising, while in other provinces the number of new cases is either declining or is steady.
We are not in trouble yet, but we cannot assume that a second wave of infections will be akin to the first. It could be more virulent. Let’s not get there. Let’s give the government no option, if, for example, ICUs are overwhelmed, to implement another hard lockdown.
The prospect of a vaccine does give hope that sometime next year it could, again, be business as usual. However, it is unclear when SA would be able to access a vaccine or if the country will have the funds and means (given that some vaccines require storage at exceptionally low temperatures) to distribute it widely enough to offer most citizens protection.
To keep the economy afloat South Africans need to shop, eat out, travel, produce goods and offer services, but let’s be vigilant. Year-end parties, family gatherings and special celebrations need not result in 2021 being even worse than the year we can’t wait to see the back of.
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