Last week I explained why I believe the rest of 2020 should be cancelled.
And this week, the Covid-19 pandemic has given me examples to share with you.
Most of the world leaders won’t admit it, but the fact is they have jumped the gun when it comes to opening things up again.
It seems to prey on our desperation to be social again, wanting to return to our normal lives.
As we start opening up the Western Cape’s economy again, there are lessons to be learned from these other regions. It is especially worrisome that places in China have had to take a few steps back, after a second wave of infections.
Since it all started in China in December 2019, they are several months ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to everything to do with the Coronavirus.
So the rest of us would be wise to take our lead from them.
We must stay vigilant. The noticeably relaxed attitudes are really bothering me.
Consider that Hong Kong has now banned restaurant dining again, as well as gatherings of more than two people.
They have also tightened their restrictions further in the wake of a fresh surge in infections.
While we are now allowed to travel inside the province for leisure, Lebanon has re-imposed tight restrictions after a similar spike in numbers alarmed officials.
A similar picture emerged in Morocco over the past week, forcing authorities to pretty much shut down access to major cities, like Casablanca and Marrakech.
Kenya has extended its curfews and the same situation is playing out in Vietnam, where things looked very good for a while.
In fact, they have had to evacuate 80 000 tourists from one city, after infections flared up again.
While there are dozens of stories of potential vaccines that are being tested, there are also regular stories of countries having to take a few steps back.
The fact is, people are letting their guard down and I think it’s largely because many haven’t had any personal experience with infections, or relatives who have been infected; it’s still too far removed for most people.
That is of course both a blessing and a curse, as nobody wants to suffer a loss through death, but it also means people are not nearly paranoid enough.
Personally I prefer the approach of Google.
In the wake of everything that’s happening, the uncertainty, the conflicting science and everything we still don’t know, the company has decided to play it safe.
They have instructed their employees to continue working from home, if they can, and to do so until July 2021.
That to me is a bit of brave wisdom of the times.
We should really be playing the long game here.
Instead we are rushing in and doing what would be unacceptable under any other circumstances - accepting avoidable deaths as collateral damage.
And I think that is what makes it so objectionable to me; the fact that these are deaths that are completely avoidable.
But we are willingly choosing that, so that we can get back to making money for ourselves and our bosses.
But we really need to pay attention to what is happening around us, not just locally, but elsewhere in the world as well.
If we see other leaders making sound decisions, then we should demand similar intelligent decisions for ourselves.
And if something isn’t working somewhere else, then we should do the same - point it out to our leaders, so that they don’t endanger our lives unnecessarily!
And while they’re at it, they should lead by example, to show us that they have faith in their own decisions.