Not yet uhuru

Mmegi Editor | Monday September 27, 2021 06:00

The SoE has been in place for close to 18 months as a measure to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the uncertainties that the end of SoE bring, many people are happy that government has finally seen it fit not to extend it.

But, sorry to burst your bubble, the pandemic won’t be over until our nation and the rest of the world have reached herd immunity. We must know that we are not out of the woods yet. This simply means that we can’t be complacent and do as we please.

It is a fact that many people are just concerned about job losses, but the situation is bigger than that because we might find ourselves back to square one if we are not careful about how we behave post the end of the SoE.

It has happened to many countries that went on wild celebrations post the end of their SoEs and ignored that the pandemic had not gone away.

The countries are now paying for it as they are dealing with rising COVID-19 related deaths, surge in new infections as well as shortages of oxygen and other hospital resources. We should jealously guard this breather and pray that it lasts forever.

Remember, the strict COVID-19 regulations have a negative bearing on the livelihoods as it hits the economy badly.

We don’t want to repeat what we endured in the past 17 months.

Whilst the country has also continued to record a decline in new cases over the last few weeks, we should be warned that we should not let the guard down and relax.

There is no going back to normalcy post the SoE. We should all pull in one direction and continue with the fight.

For majority of us, our part could be to behave well and follow protocols that remain beyond SoE such as wearing of masks, social distancing, washing of hands regularly and avoiding unnecessary travels.

We also have to ensure that we wait for our turn to vaccinate and do so without hesitation when that time comes.

For authorities and law enforcers, please ensure that those who do not comply are taken to task.

The country should not descent into a state of lawlessness simply because there is no SoE to manage the pandemic. Nothing has changed, simple!

Otherwise, we would be fooling ourselves. As we reach the end of the SoE, let us also think of it as another opportunity to fix the country not a time to lose guard and become reckless.

Today's thought

“One day the pandemic will arrive like an uninvited, though not unexpected, stranger on our doorsteps “

– Unknown