Do we need a harder lockdown?

[pinball wizard]

But this time the ANC will do things right, right?

Another IMF loan incoming?

 

[nkd]

Covid 19 information from the media / authorities / experts - it's getting more difficult to discern fact from fiction.

 

[pinball wizard]

Covid 19 information from the media / authorities / experts - it's getting more difficult to discern fact from fiction.

That was always going to be the end result when politicians and police services took over the response to a health issue.

 

[MoHaG]

If you look carefully you will see the infection positive rate stays now more or less at 30%. So if I test a 1000 per day I will get 300 positive and if I test 10000, i will get 3000 positive, but is not an increase.

That doesn't look that constant.... (via sugan2503, this tweet)

 

[Kola_CT]

A bunch of empty beds in an empty and unused exhibition hall (I'm talking Nasrec here) - how much could that really have cost to keep ticking over until it was needed?

I am sure some of these makeshift treatment areas have/had very low cost, but some of them probably not.
Read in another thread earlier (or could have been this one, so many Covid threads) that the CTICC has not yet been paid for making their resources available during the first round.

All these places CTICC/Nasrec/etc. have daily operating costs but have received very little to no income since the first hard lockdown (no events)...

Of course if the ANC did not steal all the money, this and the vaccine funding would have been a non-issue.
Now they rather spend what little is left (if anything) on sending the SANDF to police the Garden Route beaches.

 

[shackdavid]

Theres very little enforcement of the current lockdown, would it make much of a difference what number they put it on?

Why should there be enforcement, when you/we get COVID there is a chance a person my die, long term effects are still not understood on COVID.

 

[pinball wizard]

Why should there be enforcement, when you/we get COVID there is a chance a person my die, long term effects are still not understood on COVID.

WTF language do you speak?

 

[w1z4rd]

Why should there be enforcement, when you/we get COVID there is a chance a person my die, long term effects are still not understood on COVID.

The same reason we have traffic enforcement. People are people.

 

[EADC]

Yes you guys need more lockdown till you can learn to be responsible and not spread it to the rest of the world, selfish bastards

 

[RedViking]

If America can ignore it. We can.

 

[acidrain]

Theres very little enforcement of the current lockdown, would it make much of a difference what number they put it on?

It's a lot easier to enforce a hard lockdown (i.e. if you out and without a letter you are breaking the rules) than to enforce certain things one can't do (ie surfing)

 

[Cammie]

I didn't know the ANC was responsible to feed the "millions of underprivileged people in their shacks".

Surely you jest? Herded into their "houses", on pain of arrest, assault or worse, not allowed to go to work and consequently unpaid, most of them not registered with UIF, of course it was government's responsibility to see food got to them. How do you maintain a lockdown if you don't at least attend to basic needs? I know they're Gucci communists, but do you really think a local Holomodor is appropriate? The point is moot, anyway, Lindiwe Zulu is too much of a nul op 'n kontrak to be able to think her way out of a Melrose Arch shopping bag. Obviously she is incapable of coordinating breakfast in bed for 28 million, or thereabouts. For that kind of planning, you need someone capable.

 

[LCBXX]

Surely you jest? Herded into their "houses", on pain of arrest, assault or worse, not allowed to go to work and consequently unpaid, most of them not registered with UIF, of course it was government's responsibility to see food got to them. How do you maintain a lockdown if you don't at least attend to basic needs? I know they're Gucci communists, but do you really think a local Holomodor is appropriate? The point is moot, anyway, Lindiwe Zulu is too much of a nul op 'n kontrak to be able to think her way out of a Melrose Arch shopping bag. Obviously she is incapable of coordinating breakfast in bed for 28 million, or thereabouts. For that kind of planning, you need someone capable.

Before you consider anything tabled by the ANC government, start your thought process with this:
The State is incompetent...

 

[Fulcrum29]

You cannot keep your populace on a leash, and clearly some ideologies in this country are more privileged than the others, and have our population been selectively scolded by the government...

Our moral is low, I am an independent employee and the COVID regulations made things a lot more stringent irrespective whether the economy is more opened up there are more risks in general.

Another economical lockdown will slit this country's throat. To quote our beloved Zuma,

ANC MPs rally around Dlamini-Zuma after 'class suicide' question

African National Congress (ANC) MPs rallied in support of Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma after she was asked which class she wanted to commit suicide. Dlamini-Zuma briefed the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on the government's response to...

www.polity.org.za

"These opportunities call for more sacrifices and – if needs be – what Amilcar Cabral called 'class suicide', wherein we must rally behind the common cause. The coronavirus knows no class, race, gender or geographical location."

Michalakis said Cabral's doctrine called on the bourgeoisie to sacrifice their class position.

"Minister, do you honestly believe that this pandemic from which people have lost their lives in South Africa and around the world is really the right time to be pandering and driving political philosophy with regards to radical economic transformation?" he asked.

Michalakis asked which social class Dlamini-Zuma wanted to commit suicide.

She said the economy must be reset post Covid-19.

"Indeed, we mustn't waste this crisis. We must look at the economy, the structure of the economy, the ownership of the economy, the decentralisation of the economy, and that is why we are more and more talking about districts, so that every district must have a vibrant economy," Dlamini-Zuma answered.

I may not always remember names, but I have a good memory.

 

[ShoeString3]

My twopenny worth:-

Firstly some ideas on why the current measures may be proving to be ineffective, and secondly to start a discussion on what may be done instead.

Firstly some observations re the current COVID messaging
1. It's very Westernised and politically correct. Have we done research in how term such as "social distancing" really resonates locally?
2. It focusses on inputs, not outputs. We ban alcohol, impose curfews, limits access to certain locations, but don’t address the behaviours people should really be avoiding (more on this later)
3. It is contradictory. We tell people that it's is mostly spread indoors, and then close many outdoor recreational facilities (beaches, rivers, lakes, public parks). Go figure...
4. Its punishes the compliant with the non-compliant. People who have been wearing masks, keeping distance, sanitising hands, staying home, not drinking, are now not allowed to walk on the beach… BTW, where is the data that beaches really contribute to the spread of COVID?
5. It doesn't consider that most people in South Africa are numb to the dangers around them. Despite crime, we continue to live here; despite road carnage, we drive across the country; despite corruption, we continue to pay taxes. Despite COVID, we continue to party…
6. It doesn’t really deal with the fact that most people are simply not scared of COVID. It's not seen the same way the Great Plague was.
7. Finally, the COVID app is poorly adopted, and is ineffective. It doesn’t provide the time of exposure, takes no account of safety protocols (Masks, sanitiser etc), and fails to offer clear and reasonable actions when triggered.

Here are some thoughts on what we may do differently.
1. Build a narrative that the virus loves parties - when we party, we feed the virus. (This is the implication behind the various restrictions, lets address this much more directly)
2. Help people visualise the spread of virus - perhaps a green smudge that gets passed on by various behaviours and gets killed through the health protocols
3. Apply the learnings from the AIDS campaigns to tackle the DONTs in a realistic and graphic manner (Billboards, social media clips, TV) to show how the virus is passed on by
○ Kissing
○ Sharing drinks and food
○ Dancing
○ Touching infected surfaces and sucking fingers
4. And show the eventual impact in the elderly, high-risk individuals and health workers. We need the young people to be thinking of those around them who are at risk.
5. Rethink how we enforce isolation after exposure. I suspect that most people are only isolating themselves if they are really, really sick…

 

[swazz99jhb]

How many of the daily new cases are serious(needs hospitalization)? The daily infection stats bear little value to the severity of the pandemic, to me atleast, if majority are runny noses that needs self isolation.

We (South Africa) can't lockup lockdown an entire country and bring it to its knees to try and save fractions of a percentage of its population.
The country is simple to corrupt for that.

 

[Napalm]

If America can ignore it. We can.

And it's going so well in USA. They definitely have it under control?

 

[Napalm]

How many of the daily new cases are serious(needs hospitalization)? The daily infection stats bear little value to the severity of the pandemic, to me atleast, if majority are runny noses that needs self isolation.

We (South Africa) can't lockup lockdown an entire country and bring it to its knees to try and save fractions of a percentage of its population.
The country is simple to corrupt for that.

Saving lives should be priority number 1. This virus is definitely no joke. I had Covid and yes, i almost seen my own ass. I was 13days trying to fight it naturaly with pills and vitamins and nebulizing 3-4 times daily. Ate healthy and all that. On day 14 i could not breathe... I then spent another 10days in hospital on Oxygen. Total 23days i had covid. I could not breathe and could hardly eat anything. It was downhill for most parts. It was a hard fight to come back. I promise you, I could hardly walk 15meters. When going to the toilet i have to time myself. Cause when you take the oxygen off your face you have 30-35seconds before you need that oxygen. Standing up from hospital bed, opening toilet door. Walking slowly cause i'm tired as hell. Quickly peeing, timing myself. Walking back to door opening it up, then rush for the bed to put my oxygen mask back on. Then 20 seconds just breathing in that good oxygen to get my breathe back.

Even when i was discharged, at home i could walk from my room to TV room slowly and had to sit down for 20seconds to recoup. It took me another week and a half to regather the lung capacity to be back to what i was before.

Covid19 literally takes the breath and strength out of your steps. It's not something to play with, this thing takes many people's lives.

My whole family got Covid, i picked it up at the workplace at a client. My brother and my dad survived by taking meds at home and vitamins, but my dad was coughing heavily and it was almost a hospital case too. Luckily he didn't need a hospital. My mother went into hospital 1 day after i went in. She passed on, on the 5th of Jan 1am the morning.

Our family is in shambles, we are truly broken and trying to pick up the pieces. As she was the heart and rock of our family. The last few days has been the worst days i've ever had and would not wish it onto my worst enemy.

Please people, be safe.

 

[ajan]

Saving lives should be priority number 1. This virus is definitely no joke. I had Covid and yes, i almost seen my own ass. I was 13days trying to fight it naturaly with pills and vitamins and nebulizing 3-4 times daily. Ate healthy and all that. On day 14 i could not breathe... I then spent another 10days in hospital on Oxygen. Total 23days i had covid. I could not breathe and could hardly eat anything. It was downhill for most parts. It was a hard fight to come back. I promise you, I could hardly walk 15meters. When going to the toilet i have to time myself. Cause when you take the oxygen off your face you have 30-35seconds before you need that oxygen. Standing up from hospital bed, opening toilet door. Walking slowly cause i'm tired as hell. Quickly peeing, timing myself. Walking back to door opening it up, then rush for the bed to put my oxygen mask back on. Then 20 seconds just breathing in that good oxygen to get my breathe back.

Even when i was discharged, at home i could walk from my room to TV room slowly and had to sit down for 20seconds to recoup. It took me another week and a half to regather the lung capacity to be back to what i was before.

Covid19 literally takes the breath and strength out of your steps. It's not something to play with, this thing takes many people's lives.

My whole family got Covid, i picked it up at the workplace at a client. My brother and my dad survived by taking meds at home and vitamins, but my dad was coughing heavily and it was almost a hospital case too. Luckily he didn't need a hospital. My mother went into hospital 1 day after i went in. She passed on, on the 5th of Jan 1am the morning.

Our family is in shambles, we are truly broken and trying to pick up the pieces. As she was the heart and rock of our family. The last few days has been the worst days i've ever had and would not wish it onto my worst enemy.

Please people, be safe.

I wonder whats the point of this dramatic post? Is it to score symphathy points by being a crisis actor/fear monger? I can easily share far more stories, at a rate of 10:1, of people I personally know who had no smell and taste for 3 days - And that was it.

I can also add of 1 person I know who had trouble breathing. They are currently obese, so...

As LCBXX would put it, did you comply with all government laws to not spread this virus?

 

[rustypup]

So far 8 family members and more than 10 acquaintances. Only one hospitalised.

So much fear and terror.