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South Africa is currently in a lockdown with citizens eagerly counting down the days to the final day. This is because the lockdown has been characterised by an almost complete closure of some of the favourite places people like to visit like social clubs, parks, churches, stadiums, shopping malls, and other frequented venues.
The anxiety of ensuring that they don’t catch the dreaded coronavirus, not knowing when the lockdown will be lifted, coupled with a complete adjustment to daily routines and lifestyles has been a constant in the lives of people around the country.
What is worth noting however, is that some events which have gone unnoticed to many people have occurred for security, social and economic reasons. All these developments have signified the collaborative efforts happening between the government, business community, religious communities and the citizens.
Repatriations between countries
The repatriation of South Africans from the corona epicentre in China marked what can be described as the start of a mass repatriation of South Africans and citizens from various countries. A total of 114 South African citizens were repatriated from China. To date, 2312 South Africans stranded in various countries due to the outbreak of Covid-19 had made contact with South African missions and the command centre in Pretoria to register for repatriation. Of these, 726 are students, 600 are workers in other countries, and 492 are tourists. Repatriation flights for more than 1000 tourists who were stranded in South Africa after the lockdown also began in earnest between the 4th and 5th April. While most of the tourists flown from South Africa to Germany were German, there were also EU citizens from countries including France, Finland, Greece, Italy and Poland. On Friday, in a statement, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco), announced the return of 16 South Africans from the United Arab Emirates.
Mass testing
In a bid to curb the spreading of the coronavirus, government through the department of health launched a mass testing exercise. Armed with screening questionnaires and testing kits, medics and volunteers have set up their testing stations in different parts of the country. South Africa has since conducted over 50,000 tests in the past few days.
Relaxation of lockdown regulations
South Africa’s lockdown started with strict regulations in place. These measures included a complete shutdown of the borders, restricted movement of public transport and closure of spaza shops which many people in poor communities depend on. These measures have been been relaxed with borders being more open to freight services, public transport operators like taxis are now allowed to load more people as long as passengers have face masks and spaza stores as well as food traders have since been allowed to open and trade as long as they obtain a relevant operating permit.
Ratings agencies downgrade
South Africa’s government and business sector had to deal with the news of two ratings downgrades in a space of days. Fitch Ratings downgraded the country further into junk, just a week after Moody’s Investors Service stripped it of its last remaining investment grade. The rand extended its losses, crashing through R19/$.
E-learning for students and learners
The departments of communications and digital technologies and basic education have joined forces, to ensure virtual learning is a reality during the nation-wide lockdown. To achieve this, the public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), has availed a channel that will be dedicated to education. Educational videos are not pre-recorded, but rather are showcased in an environment where teachers will deliver lessons live in studios and via the virtual classrooms, teaching children like they would in a classroom.
In addition, the department says it has reached partnership agreements with DStv, Vodacom and Telkom, to broadcast various school lessons during the lockdown period.
According to the department of education, the DStv partnership includes Mindset on channel 318, which will carry most grades except grade four to nine, and a pop-up channel on 317 that will carry content for grades four to nine, which was launched on 1st April.
The department lists the following as educational sites that learners and parents can access: https://education.gauteng.gov.za/Pages/index.aspx, https://www.skool.com/, https://www.mathsisfun.com/ and https://za.ixl.com/.
Uber Eats is back, nationwide, during South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown.
Uber Eats is back, delivering nationwide as of 6th April, despite South Africa’s national Covid-19 lockdown. While the fast food restaurants, the service it’s known for remain closed, food outlets and pharmacies have been added to the platform, so that everything from chocolate to nappies and other essentials can now be ordered for delivery. Notable difference this time around is delivery being available only between 09:00 and 17:00. Uber Eats said it would charge a flat fee of R25 to deliver essentials, with a R5 “small order” fee for orders below R50.
Homeless, refugees and religious gatherings
The refugee crisis in South Africa has reared its head again during this lockdown with various government departments trying to figure out how to manage the crisis while maintaining public order and adherence to national regulations during the lockdown. Cape Town has been battling with refugee numbers of up to 500 with some of these refugees seeking shelter in public places and churches. On the religious front, churches continue to adhere to national lockdown rules by staying closed and conducting services online. The Moria pilgrimage which happens every Easter with thousands of Zion Christian Church members trekking to Limpopo for prayers has also been put off.
The listed developments point to some sort of life bubbling under the lockdown in South Africa.
