Most South Africans had never heard the phrase "flatten the curve" before last week. Nor "social distancing". A week ago, the horror-movie script of a global shutdown caused by Covid-19 was far-fetched. Now it’s reality.
But it’s a strange reality, isn’t it. The calls to work from home and "self-isolate" are all well and good for the middle classes with an office job that involves sitting in front of a computer. For the working class, it’s an entirely different story.
Suddenly, SA’s steep Gini coefficient, a gauge of economic inequality, makes the gap between rich and poor look even wider.
Advice from President Cyril Ramaphosa to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds is sound, but not very practical after 25 years of ANC misrule that has led to corruption destroying vital infrastructure. Washing your hands is an excellent precaution — if you have a water supply. As media revelations and exposés have shown, the water boards and piping infrastructure have been left to rot while politicians colluded to siphon off money intended for maintenance.
The public health system is already so broken, corrupted and strained that it’s close to collapse even without the kind of pandemic that has reduced Italy’s hospitals to a warzone. I’m truly terrified at what will happen if the rate of infection spikes in SA as it has elsewhere.
If you wanted to see the dark side of humanity, this profiteering is it
In our technologically advanced world, it is possible to work remotely — but only for a fraction of the population. If you are one of them, then you’re lucky it’s the age of wireless broadband and smartphones. Data-only network rain has announced an unlimited 4G data offering at R479 a month, which may be the best wireless option available — if you live in a city with coverage. The tech tools are mature, abundant and cost effective.
But part of the problem is the spread of the wrong information. No, the virus isn’t killed by temperatures higher than 24°C. Hong Kong’s daily temperature is hotter than that.
At least Facebook is taking this crisis seriously. Life and death, it turns out, is actually more important than elections. "When you’re dealing with a pandemic, a lot of the stuff we’re seeing just crossed the threshold," CEO Mark Zuckerberg told The New York Times. Therefore "it’s easier to set policies that are a little more black and white and take a much harder line".
Facebook, Google, YouTube, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Reddit and Twitter released a joint statement saying they’re working with health authorities to clamp down on harmful information. It’s so bad, the World Health Organisation has labelled this disinformation an "infodemic". If you wanted to see the dark side of humanity, this profiteering is it.
As this magazine wrote in February: "In the absence of information and with so many unknowns, fear is spreading faster than the coronavirus."
Stay safe, people.
- Shapshak is editor-in-chief and publisher of Stuff magazine (stuff.co.za)
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