Covid-19 in South Africa
South Africa announced its first case of COVID-19 on March 5, 2020. By March 15, 2020, the number of cases had risen to 61. On March 23 President Cyril Ramaphosa then declared a national state of disaster and announced several measures to be undertaken to contain the spread of the virus. These measures went further than almost any other national lockdown in the world as they include a total ban on the sale of alcohol and a further total ban on the sale of tobacco products. This strong approach was supported by the WHO and was being motivated due to concerns about the poorest communities in South Africa which are not only most at risk but also represent a large part of the local demographic.
The COVID-19 epidemic is having several diverse implications and impacts on South African society including in the social, economic, health, environmental, and technological realms.
Revenue loss from the bans in force is going into billions (US$). Jobs are being lost rapidly as one strong aspect of the economy is tourism and this has now totally stopped. At best income has stopped totally for millions of people as employers cannot pay them any longer due to lack of business. Many businesses locally are self-enterprises with just a few employees.
On the amusing side we see a lot of more familiar animals on our roads as the lack of human presence enables them to rediscover lost territories. And yes, we now do our safaris by video rather naturally seek these beautiful creatures in the game reserves.
South Africans like many countries are resilient people and will not let Covid stop them in their quest. In the face of all these challenges, communities are coming together to ride this unprecedented storm out however everyone understands this is going to be a long ride home.
Still we keep smiling as we live in a beautiful country and have great options for local tourism.
Until next time
Jean-Marie
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