Covid-19 and the fear factor

AS SOUTH Africans brace themselves for the “3rd Wave of Covid-19 infections” with the onset of the cold winter days - our government’s obsession with the big numbers does nothing but create a culture of fear among coronavirus-beaten citizens.

This phenomenon of putting the number of Covid-19 infections at the top of the chart on SABC TV everyday is curious, because what it says to the millions of viewers, is that, infections are rising and about to reach the 2-million mark, and there is no winning against the onslaught of the pandemic. Yet, in essence, this is far from the reality.

The truth is, yes, there is death and gloom. But, the recovery rate of infections in South Africa is more than 95% of that big scary number at the top of the chart. It means, we are winning the fight, not losing it.

Also, the death rate from Covid19 here is one of the lowest in the world when compared to the numbers recorded so far in some European and Indo-Asian nations, although, this is admittedly little consolation to those who lost loved ones to the pandemic. But even in our sorrow, authorities mustn’t use fear tactics to encourage compliance with rules and regulations.

One can never know the rationale of using the big numbers, as opposed to the number of active cases currently sitting at just above the 21 000 mark and rising - which is what ordinary South Africans need to know, such that, they can actively ensure compliance to adopt precautionary behavior that will keep this number on the decline. Perhaps the big numbers strategy is the government’s way of ensuring that we all remain terrified and stick to the Covid-19 protocols, such as social distancing, the wearing of masks and the hand washing or sanitising. But, using fear to ensure compliance with rules and regulations can only work for a short period.

History has taught us that only trust in state authority, it’s leadership and intentions can win the hearts and the minds of the majority, not fear.

Right now the fear factor has set in. Many South Africans are mired in various states of depression. And, much as the government has a responsibility in ensuring that regulations are adhered to, it needs to start communicating messages that do not add to our emotional burdens post-Covid-19, because we remain a society saddled with a national mental health crisis - another pandemic on it’s own.