A fully informed population is vital during a disaster

It should be well and truly sinking in now that South Africa is in the midst of its biggest social and economic crisis in post-apartheid history, if not for more than a century.

Although there is nothing as draconian as the emergency regulations and laws of that bygone apartheid era – which were aimed at clamping down on dissent and quenching the fires of rebellion and liberation – there is enough in the latest state of disaster regulations to remind us that we have lost more than a little in the way of personal liberty.

In a country such as ours, when thousands died for the freedom we have today and where we have a constitution widely acknowledged as the most liberal in the world, this can be a difficult pill to swallow.

Yet, the reality is that this situation is correctly characterised as a national disaster and it requires the same sort of regulation and discipline as if we were going to war.

So, for now anyway (because restrictions may become even tighter) we have had our movements restricted and our freedom of association curtailed.

All restaurants and places which sell liquor must close at 6pm during the week and on Saturdays and 1pm on Sundays and may only open at 9am each day.

At any one time, such places must have no more than 50 people at one time. Anyone contravening that regulation faces up to six months in jail.

The same possible jail sentence applies to anyone holding a gathering of more than 100 people – and police have been empowered to disperse any such gathering and arrest attendees. Which sounds a lot like “the old days”.

There are also serious penalties, including time behind bars, for those who refuse to be tested, treated or admitted to a health facility on the orders of an appropriate official.

Another area which has been clamped down upon is freedom of speech and the media, with jail sentences in prospect for anyone who intentionally publishes fake news. This includes anything on what the government is doing to combat the pandemic.

And that is what worries us.

So far, government’s communication on what is happening has always lagged the situation on the ground, particularly in terms of numbers of people infected by the coronavirus.

Understandably, we would not want figures which are misleading and which might have to be amended later and we realise tests need to be double-checked, yet we are concerned about this lack of complete transparency.

There have also been reports that the authorities have also told experts in the field of health and epidemiology that they are not allowed to speak to the media and that all communications have to be channelled through the government.

On the one hand, that does make sense, because there are so many conflicting versions of the “facts”, never mind opinions, that the wider population can become confused, which could lead to fear and panic.

We have already seen the effects of panic in the aisles of our supermarkets.

However, The Citizen still believes that a fully informed population is one which is vital to the government’s attempts to maintain order and calm.

We would urge the government to remember that, even in the midst of crisis and chaos, full and timely facts banish fake news.

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