Elections no excuse to be reckless

As election campaigning intensifies, we have seen politicians being ambushed by protests in some areas, which led to poor adherence to Covid-19 protocols by communities.

The unplanned gatherings by communities targeting campaigning politicians to air their grievances have led to fears of another virus outbreak as experts warn of a fourth wave.

Wits University vaccinologist professor Shabir Madhi told our sister publication, Sunday Times, that campaigning would be “the riskiest period with regard to possible super-spreader events, particularly if electioneering is allowed to take place in poorly ventilated indoor places – irrespective of the number of people”.

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa was mobbed by hundreds of unhappy residents who ignored social distancing. Yesterday, we also saw Thembisa residents coming out in numbers to complain about service delivery problems to an ANC delegation, which included Ramaphosa.

The president apologised for last week’s crowds to journalists. “But this is what happens when there is an election campaign and I think we will need to find better protocols of how to navigate our way around situations like that.”

We agree with the president, regulations are needed to manage the crowds during campaigns, and the sooner they come up with them the better. They can also look at alternative ways of campaigns such as online, more media visibility and more posters in communities to avoid the need to visit every township.

We have lost over 80,000 people due to Covid-19 complications; another outbreak will be devastating, let’s do all we can to avoid the fourth wave.

By the weekend only 16,814,890 people had been vaccinated, which means the majority of the population has not yet been inoculated and are at risk of getting the virus at gatherings.

Let us learn from India, which saw the coronavirus infection rate hiking badly earlier this year, which led to their health system being overburdened.

Researchers from Midnapore City College and Indian Centre for Space Physics found that political campaigns and election activities leading up to the March to April polls had “significantly impacted the coronavirus spread” in that country. 

We have five weeks to go before the November 1 local government elections, we call on residents to heed Covid-19 safety regulations as they engage with politicians.

As much we have to tighten gathering regulations during the election campaigns, it is also our responsibility to ensure we save ourselves and loved ones from contracting the virus.