Safety, discipline still watchwords over Easter

A year after President Cyril Ramaphosa first locked down the nation to “flatten the curve” of coronavirus infections, many of us are on tenterhooks today, wondering whether our leader will again call a family meeting to keep us restrained.

There is a worry that booze sales will be curtailed and that travel may also be restricted, ahead of the upcoming Easter weekend, as a way to limit movement and undisciplined behaviour.

There is, in reality, plenty of opportunity for Covid-19 to stage a deadly comeback over Easter.

The religious will flock to large gatherings and the not-so-religious will worship at our country’s other main religion, getting drunk.

In both cases, there are chances of super-spreader events happening.

Yet, Ramaphosa must know that people need to be able to celebrate their beliefs in public and that many South Africans will want to be with their loved ones over this special time. Any restriction on inter-provincial travel will not only hurt many, but it might also deal a death blow to our already ailing tourism industry.

Perhaps, too, it is time we decided to accept the risks and try to get back to living normal lives. But safety and discipline should still be our watchwords.

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