Lockdown Week 1

Week ONE of Lockdown in Masakhane

At the end of the first week of lockdown in Masakhane, there is a mixed picture of how people act, what they are worried about…

At the end of the first week of lockdown in Masakhane, there is a mixed picture of how people act, what they are worried about, and to what extent they take the Coronavirus seriously. That highly depends on how much the people know about the virus.

Even though streets did get emptier towards the end of the week suggesting that more people stick to the rules of the lockdown, there were still children out on the roads as well as people drinking and taking Corona-time as a kind of holiday.

Even for those who wish to follow the government's rules, it is very hard or even impossible to ensure the necessary hygiene. For people who live in the shacks or who depend on using the public toilets, this is even more difficult.

Many are also worried about losing their jobs, about the possibility that crime may rise and about hunger and their families suffering from hunger. Fortunately, so far, the situation in Masakhane is stable.

In the end, the most important thing is to spread knowledge and to educate the people. Either with information from the government or by possibilities like the i-MED vision WhatsApp group where people can ask questions about the virus. We want to allow people to learn because they see and understand the need to keep a distance and follow the hygiene regimes as well as they can, instead of being forced to do it.

It is a challenge to spread good education, especially in rural areas where most have less access to useful information. Moreover, reliable information is even more critical to fighting fake news, which, unfortunately, is spread as well.