4/13/2023 0 Comments Unpacking level 3![]() Yes, some will point to how South Korea and Sweden are managing without having implemented a hard lockdown. Most countries that have peaked have done so under lockdown – hard lockdown. India) I am aware of that are running roughshod to open up their economies to confront the peak in infection. South Africa is one of few countries (e.g. 10 million people are being declared essential services for Level 3. This celebratory reaction to Level 3 coupled with the number of people that are being set free from their homes to become part of the frontline, worried me. Of course those who bought in the illicit market breathed a sigh of relief from being unburdened from the exorbitant prices they were forking out to access drinks. Many thirsty souls, especially those who had not stocked up enough ahead of the lockdown or could not access liquor in the illicit market during the lockdown, joyful that they will soon quench their thirst. When the President declared the lockdown’s de-escalation to Level 3 with the sale of liquor anticipated, thunderous cheers and applause reverberated across the country. This is to illustrate that the expectation that ALL provinces in South Africa will experience a catastrophic surge might be misplaced. In Russia, Moscow is hardest hit in Italy it is Lombardy in the USA it is New York State followed by New Jersey. Globally, the virus behaves differently within a country. We are still discussing health system readiness from a national perspective when it is clear that Covid-19 has set root and is likely to cause the greatest devastation in two provinces, the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. It’s impossible to evaluate if our health system is ready. Number of beds are discussed without indication on what are the expected number of infections that the government is working with. It appears irresponsible to accept that the lockdown’s usefulness can only be limited to “ready the health system” as many shapers of our public discourse have repeated.Įven then, what are the indicators of this readiness? No one has offered. One day Ardern came out and declared, “We have the opportunity to do something no other country has achieved: elimination of the virus”.īut it’s their lockdown philosophy that should make us reflect. At the end of April the nation’s government led by Jacinda Ardern declared COVID-19 eliminated in New Zealand.Īt the start of their lockdown, it was considered as one of the strictest in the world - there was even mandatory quarantine for visitors before a total ban on international travel. That island nation with almost five million people has conducted about 263 000 tests (just over 54 000 tests per one million population) registering 1 504 positive cases and 21 deaths. New Zealand is one of the success stories in this respect. In many provinces, bar the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, there was success in almost containing the spread of the virus.īy containing I mean, identifying positive cases, tracing all their contacts, monitoring them over a 14 days period and continuing with community screening and testing. President Ramaphosa reported that it was used “to build up an extensive public health response and prepare our health system for the anticipated surge in infections”.Īdded to this, the lockdown was intended to slow down the spread of the virus, attempt to flatten the curve and push out the peak in infections. This move says the country is declaring victory in its preparedness to withstand the Covid-19 storm that is said to be entering our shores. This move will see about eight million people return to work alongside almost two million learners and educators returning to schools. With those words, Ramaphosa and his government sent the entire country to Level 3 lockdown as of 1 June 2020 (though the Minister of Health has thrown in some confusion). Much to the contrary, “the risk of massive increase in infections is now greater than it has been since the start of the outbreak in our country”, he warned. By no means has he claimed victory over Covid-19, reminding South Africans that “the easing of some restrictions does not mean that the threat posed by the coronavirus has passed or that our fight against the disease is over”. He has at times admitted that mistakes have been made. President Ramaphosa has committed to hide nothing from South Africans in his management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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