I don’t think any one of us who has read these pages hasn’t suffered from the impact of the coronavirus.
Mense kry swaar. I have had sleepless nights after losing income since the lockdown in March.
All of my family have taken financial knocks - one of my father’s cousins and her husband are in quarantine after contracting Covid-19 and they are surviving despite being over 60.
On top of that, one of my sisters lost her job as companies look to shed workers.
Dit gaan maar rof.
And with the prospects for the future looking sleg, one has to wonder if those jobs will ever come back as the global economy struggles to cope with the novel disease’s impact on their human resources.
This week, with the easing of the lockdown restrictions, everyday mense were allowed more movement and the chance to get their lives back on track.
We’ve obviously seen how the sport industry has taken a knock and how desperate leagues and clubs are to get back to business.
And for sportspeople, there was some great news too.
Cricket can resume behind closed doors in Mzansi, while contact sports like rugby and football have been told they can start training.
The balance of finding a safe way of stopping the spread of this disease and getting back to the field of play is a tricky endeavour.
There will be mistakes, people will continue to test positive and suffer and, God forbid, die.
But with the buy-in of the players, who are risking their lives for their livelihoods, who are you trying to convince not to take the chance?
And now I want to talk specifically about the PSL.
RISKS: CT City staff checking players
They have been drukking for a return to play since day one of this coronavirus crisis and all they need now is their papiere from the government.
From the very beginning, Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa said in Level 5 that the league could continue behind closed doors. Mense, that would have been a disaster.
But even today, with the resumption of the league on the horizon, there are still so many things we don’t know about this virus.
Anyway, the plan to complete the season inside a biosecure environment is the road they are going to take.
Once they get the green light, they are looking to get the entire season - PSL, NFD, Nedbank Cup and promotion playoffs - all done and dusted by the end of July.
If they can’t do that safely in that time, they will try to get it done inside the first two weeks of August.
I commend the shareholders’ bravery to take their lives in their hands like this and I wish them all the best.
Ultimately, once these people arrive at their destinations Covid-19-free, then personal hygiene practices and professional medical protocols are expected to keep them healthy and disease-free.
Still, there remains a risk.
Which brings us back to the beginning of this piece: the sleepless nights and the uncertainty.
Scientists are still trying to figure out that once you’ve had Covid-19, if you’ll develop immunity. They are trying to come up with a vaccine, hoping that this virus doesn’t mutate before they know how to fight it.
And we have no idea what it does to a fit sportsperson’s capacity to do their job once the lungs have been infected.
We’re all learning together, and whether you are in a bio bubble or not, I wish you all the best as the world begins opening up again.