Editorial: Freedom from lockdown is in our hands

President Cyril Ramaphosa gave citizens something to ponder on when he addressed the nation on Thursday night.

With the 35 days of lockdown coming to an end at midnight on Thursday, there will be no wholesale opening of the country.

Such action would result in a drastic reduction to the gains we’ve made since the lockdown was introduced.

Our healthcare systems would not be able to handle massive infections of the invisible Covid-19 coronavirus.

Citizens’ movements and other rights were curtailed and we have been feeling the heat.

But these were sacrifices we needed to make to ensure that we could defeat the virus and flatten the curve on new infections.

This was the best we could do because there is no cure for the virus.

The president told us that by Friday the country would be ready to move from level 5 of the lockdown, during which only essential services were allowed to operate, to level 4.

This will mean some industries will be gradually opened to unlock economic activities.

We are all anxious about when the country will return to normality. But this will depend on all of us as a nation.

We need to continue to do what is required of us to fight the spread of the virus. We need to wash our hands often, cover our faces with masks, keep social distancing, only move when it is absolutely necessary and continue to stay at home.

These restrictions have been painful for many, but they are necessary.

Read: Ramaphosa levels with SA on plans to reopen the economy

So, as the partial lifting happens on Friday, it is our actions that will decide how soon we get to level 1 and return to normality.

But we must know that the relaxation of the regulations – even when they get to level 1 – will not mean the relaxation of our vigilance.

Other countries that lifted restrictions after flattening the curve saw a resurgence of infections.

Therefore, we should retain the good habits that we have learnt during this tough period. Our freedom from lockdown is in our hands.

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City Press is an agenda-setting South African news brand that publishes across platforms. Its flagship print edition is distributed on a Sunday.