Pressure on South African health authorities is mounting as more experts come forward and question the need for continuing the mask mandate. Next week — on March 15 — it will be exactly two years since President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the nation’s dire state over the presence of the coronavirus, which had been confirmed earlier that month. Apart from the harsh initial lockdowns – accompanied by a ban on the sale of cigarettes and alcohol and all sorts of minor regulations – the government mandated social distancing by banning large gatherings and insisted on a minimum of 1.5 meters…
Busy South African health authorities are increasing as more experts come forward and question the need for continuing the mask mandate.
Next week — on March 15 — it will be exactly two years since President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the nation’s dire state over the presence of the coronavirus, which had been confirmed earlier that month.
Aside from the harsh initial lockdowns – accompanied by bans on the sale of cigarettes and alcohol and all sorts of minor regulations – the government mandated social distancing by banning large gatherings and insisted on a minimum of 1.5 meters between people, as well as making the wearing of mouth caps mandatory.
The jury is still out on whether these measures – any or all of them – have actually helped contain the Covid pandemic, which has claimed nearly 100,000 lives to date… disease has been much worse.
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And therein lies the danger of abolishing the mask mandate. While the pandemic seems to be burning itself out, at least in terms of infection virulence and lethality, people seemed to have forgotten that horrific death toll.
Few masks are worn in most outdoor settings in South Africa today. And indoors, like when people sit down in restaurants to eat, masks are quickly removed.
Life seems to be returning to normal, so there’s weight in the argument that masks will be the last step back to where we were — and their negative effects, especially psychologically, on children will be eliminated.
Still, the World Health Organization and some of our own experts have warned against complacency: As winter approaches, the prospect of another wave is very real. Maybe we should still be safe, instead of regretting later…