CAPE TOWN - With the country currently on alert level 1, there’s a growing call for South Africans not to be complacent.
“The feared, stronger and potentially deadlier second wave of Covid-19 infections could be prevented if citizens conduct themselves as though they were still under the stricter Level 5 of the national lockdown,” said KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu.
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About 300,000 people have so far been arrested and charged for violating lockdown regulations. The Western Cape recorded the most arrests with 72,137 followed by Gauteng with 59,000 arrests.
Countries such as Spain, Italy, South Korea, China, United States, and the United Kingdom, which were hardest hit by the first wave of Covid-19, have begun seeing a resurgence of the virus in many communities.
Simelane-Zulu, expressed her concerns about the apparent reintroduction of various forms of risky public behaviour since the country was de-escalated to Level 1.
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These include rampant partying and alcohol consumption, failure to wear face masks and adhere to social distancing, as well as the smoking of the “Hubbly-bubbly”, also known as the “hookah”, which is shared by groups of people and contains harmful substances, exposing users to potential Covid-19 infection through saliva.
The MEC said she was worried about asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19 interacting closely with the elderly, which could prove fatal.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has also called for people to be more cautious now more than ever, people should take seriously the strongest defences available against Covid-19; the wearing of masks, sanitising and washing hands and maintaining social distancing.
"I don't want people to suddenly relax. The whole world has these second waves and I'm watching some of these countries and thinking: No, we can't step back,” he said.
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