Open up the country, now
Today at 15:00 President Hage Geingob is expected to give direction on the way forward regarding the state of emergency in general and the lockdown in particular.
Government must be commended for what it has been able to do so far to prevent the whirlwind spread of the virus, but time has come to end the lockdown.
There is clear evidence that Namibians are now fully aware of the fatal consequences of Covid-19, hence everyone wearing a mask and generally observing social distancing.
From that point of view, the lockdown has served its purpose. It has helped buy time for citizens to learn about the virus. They must now take care of themselves because frankly, no government in the world can successfully police people’s social behaviour.
The lockdown has helped us understand, scientifically, who the most vulnerable groups are. All our efforts going forward must be geared towards protecting the high-risk groups; primarily the sickly and the elderly.
Caution must continue to be exercised to protect children – and that’s strictly because they are children. They have largely been spared from the virus in terms of either contracting it or dying from it, so there is no need to exaggerate their risk.
We learn through everyday life experiences. Namibians know now what they didn’t know five months ago and it’s time we place faith in them looking after their own health so we can open up the economy.
Government must be commended for what it has been able to do so far to prevent the whirlwind spread of the virus, but time has come to end the lockdown.
There is clear evidence that Namibians are now fully aware of the fatal consequences of Covid-19, hence everyone wearing a mask and generally observing social distancing.
From that point of view, the lockdown has served its purpose. It has helped buy time for citizens to learn about the virus. They must now take care of themselves because frankly, no government in the world can successfully police people’s social behaviour.
The lockdown has helped us understand, scientifically, who the most vulnerable groups are. All our efforts going forward must be geared towards protecting the high-risk groups; primarily the sickly and the elderly.
Caution must continue to be exercised to protect children – and that’s strictly because they are children. They have largely been spared from the virus in terms of either contracting it or dying from it, so there is no need to exaggerate their risk.
We learn through everyday life experiences. Namibians know now what they didn’t know five months ago and it’s time we place faith in them looking after their own health so we can open up the economy.
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Namibian Sun
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