The Solidarity Movement said today there is no longer any reason why the current level of the lockdown regulations should not be relaxed to level 1 tonight. This follows after it became known earlier today that President Ramaphosa will address the country again tonight.
According to Solidarity Movement Chairperson Flip Buys, the infection rate in the country has dropped to such an extent that it would be irrational to keep the country on the same lockdown level as it was at the peak of the second wave. “The logic behind a lockdown is to slow down the infection rate to such an extent that hospitals have enough capacity to handle the number of patients that need care. However, that no longer a risk because the number of cases has virtually halved, as was the trend during the first wave,” Buys said.
According to Buys, there is no longer any reason to tie down the economy and destroy sectors such as tourism and the liquor industry, which have already almost been brought to their knees, by extending the level 3 regulations.
Furthermore, Connie Mulder, head of the Solidarity Research Institute, argues that the government’s insistence on lockdown regulations as the only measure to combat the spread of the virus is very short-sighted and does not do much to slow down the spread of the virus. However, it does succeed in accelerating the public’s distrust of the government.
“By introducing lockdown regulations that come into effect immediately without consulting the public and the necessary industries, members of the public are encouraged to revise their confidence in the government’s ability to act responsibly and rationally.”
Buys emphasises that the time has now come to urgently relax the lockdown measures. “Our message is clear – open up the country and stop treating the public like children. The only thing worse than the public managing the crisis by themselves is the government continuously trying to do so,” Buys said.
“The Solidarity Movement believes that the economy, together with working healthily and education provided healthily, can be opened up in a healthy way,” Buys concluded.
