Within hours of the government announcing South Africans were no longer required to wear masks, memes quickly flooded social media with quirky suggestions on what to do with the face coverings.
No doubt many people have amassed quite the collection since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic more than two years ago.
There was celebration on Thursday as the mandatory wearing of masks in indoor spaces was repealed, along with restrictions on gatherings.
But with the news came apprehension, with many saying they would continue wearing masks in public spaces.
The virus in its various mutations has infected nearly four million South Africans and killed almost 102,000. The figure globally, according to the Worldometer website, stood at nearly 550-million infections on Sunday morning and 6.3-million deaths.
By the time you read this, the number may be higher.
Health minister Joe Phaahla, in similar vein, said while cases and hospitalisations have declined, “the Covid-19 virus is not yet gone”.
As we return to a semblance of ‘normal’ life — before the coronavirus and its lockdown and restrictions beginning in March 2020 — we should remain mindful of what we have lost as a nation.
Lives and livelihoods were destroyed. Many hospitals, already faced with a mountain of challenges pre-Covid, were ill-equipped for a pandemic. Just weeks before the lockdown, the Daily Dispatch had published its ‘Terminal Healthcare’ investigative series exposing the shocking state of healthcare in the Eastern Cape. Many of those problems still persist today.
The broke provincial health department may have to immediately cough up almost R400m, with interest, in negligence claims. This follows its expensive failed high court bid to stop the payouts.
In its ruling against the department, a full bench of the Makhanda high court urged the National Director of Public Prosecutions to consider possible prosecution of accounting officers.
Despite these challenges, the men and women in our healthcare facilities were thrust to the frontline to fight a virus we knew little about in the early days. Wave after wave of infections hit the country. Some of its effects we are still recovering from today.
The SA Medical Association encouraged those who are symptomatic to consider wearing masks. Its chair, Mvuyisi Mzukwa, said:
"We have learned as South Africans from this pandemic that we need to protect each other.”
The dropping of restrictions is a positive step, but we should approach it with caution. We need to remain vigilant at all times to avoid a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.
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