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If you& #39;re calling to #EndTheLockdownSA without proper consideration & regulations in place to protect people (specifically the most vulnerable) & if you& #39;ve ever suggested letting the & #39;virus run its course& #39;, just admit that poor people dying doesn& #39;t bother you & be done with it.
I say this because without proper safety measures in place, the disease will disproportionately affect & infect people who cannot afford to miss work or telecommute — grocery store employees, factory workers, petrol station attendants, cleaners, & the like.
I say this because, as we& #39;ve seen elsewhere, the disproportionate burden lower income peoples bear is in part a direct result of their overrepresentation in professions where they risk exposure, & of a gap in wealth & income that& #39;s left them more vulnerable in multiple ways.
We all want to see an end to lockdown. I think it& #39;s foolish to believe that this is not the case. However, there& #39;s an element of acceptance that needs to come from each & every one of us - that the return of our & #39;rights& #39; does not come without an increase in our responsibilities.
Until there is a vaccine, the imperative is as much on the Government when it comes to figuring how we negotiate this & #39;new normal& #39;, as it is on each & every single one of us to take up our roles in doing what it takes to keep ourselves & those around us safe.
If you& #39;ve not yet accepted it, it is time - there& #39;s NO return to the past & #39;normal& #39;, at least for a while. That& #39;s why, whilst it& #39;s important that we empower people through a return to their ability to earn an income, we need to do so in a way that& #39;s regulated for their safety.
I implore you, if your voice has joined the call for an end to the lockdown, don& #39;t leave it there. Propose ideas, & spread awareness around recommendations on how we can end lockdown & keep everyone safe, so the result isn& #39;t the senseless loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.
I implore you not to become someone whose call for the end to lockdown, & refusal to concede to safety regulations, results in the lives of the disproportionately poor (which translates into disproportionately black) being sacrificed to fuel the engine of a faltering economy.
To end the lockdown without safety measures & & #39;let the virus run its course& #39; is to fail before we& #39;ve begun with our intention of & #39;opening& #39; the economy - because a new wave of death & infection will drive the public back into self-imposed isolation & destroy consumer spending.
Let& #39;s not learn this lesson through the collective & senseless sacrifice of labourers, as a result of falling short of taking the time to consider & implement the measures necessary to ensure their safety. Call for an end to the lockdown, by all means, but do so responsibly.
