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Lockdown: What is essential to one, isn’t to another

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South African’s panic buying ahead of the 21 days lockdown at the Super Jumbo Cash & Carry in Johannesburg Main Reef. The Covid-19 lockdown that will take place on Thursday Midnight. Picture: Rosetta Msimango
South African’s panic buying ahead of the 21 days lockdown at the Super Jumbo Cash & Carry in Johannesburg Main Reef. The Covid-19 lockdown that will take place on Thursday Midnight. Picture: Rosetta Msimango

Last week, when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day lockdown, as fears mounted that many had already been infected by the Covid-19 coronavirus, he said only certain merchandise – deemed essentials – would be sold during this period.

Under the lockdown regulations, everyone was instructed to stay at home, unless going out to get essential goods or services. Obviously the idea of what is essential differs from one person to the next.

This dawned on me when a friend from Polokwane called me in distress last week – a serious call, for that matter.

Reason: he was refused when wanting to buy a pack of condoms and a newspaper at a shop.

He says he was told these items were not part of the essentials goods that citizens were allowed to buy during the lockdown.

“Do you know what this means?” he asked. “I can’t broer. I can’t. These people can’t do this to me. Don’t they know what they are doing will lead to?” He was so angry he couldn’t speak properly.

When the authorities defined essential goods, they should have thought through including such items that have serious impacts on the health of the population.
Timothy Molobi

While as a newspaperman my worry was about not selling a copy to the masses so as to get the latest news on the coronavirus, his concern was the repercussions of not being able to get a condom.

Although I teased him when I asked where he was when people were panic buying last week, deep down I sympathised with him and felt his pain.

Imagine if he was not the only one not allowed to get a pack or two. I shudder to think of the end results of this.

When the authorities defined essential goods, they should have thought through including such items that have serious impacts on the health of the population.

Some use condoms as birth control but they are for prevention of sexually transmitted infections as well.

Before you know it, people will come back with increased viral load. At the end of the day, whatever the situation may be, we can’t treat Covid-19 as the only health issue there is.

We have to get a right balance. As it is, we are under a lot of distress and we need other social services for relief.

Since the lockdown began, I have also been at the receiving end at home. Guess over what? The TV remote control – it turned out to be a serious fight. Everyone wanted to own it and this led to endless quarrels over which channels to watch.

he was refused when wanting to buy a pack of condoms and a newspaper at a shop

The kids always want their cartoons throughout the day, without compromise – imagine Tom Cruise die hele dag!

I mean, with no live sports, I even tried to devise means to share watching times but the kids would have none of it.

I have never watched so much of Tom Cruise as I have in the past two weeks. But I had to accept the situation as it was.

I have not heard from my friend since last week’s call. But the health authorities must not be surprised if there are many new-born South Africans in January – nine months after the lockdown.


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