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Coronavirus second wave: DA denialism and economy before lives

Public health experts and health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize are concerned about a second wave. He and his wife are recovering from Covid-19. 

A number of countries in Europe, and the UK, have implemented lockdowns over the past two weeks. There are concerns the resurgence is going to get out of control - "collapse" was used to describe the state in Spain. On Friday October 23 the US broke the previous record in July with 85 000 cases reported in a day. 

South Africans have reason to be worried. But the DA and Western Cape government, who want travel restrictions lifted, are not among them.

A pandemic denialist believes it's a hoax, minimises it or rejects universally accepted measures to combat the spread: masks, distancing and lockdowns. From the outset the DA, leader John Steenhuisen and WC government - Premier Alan Winde - insists the lockdown, even the present benign level 1, is exaggerated and unnecessary (they haven't heard about the "prevention paradox").

The WC wants restrictions against high risk countries lifted to save the travel and tourism industry despite cross-border travel and between affected regions being a key way the virus is transmitted. New Zealand, which almost beat Covid, has 25 cases from foreign fishing crews.

The DA fatuously focus on "clean audits" and the gloss of "good governance" they perceive it brings, a widespread mistake, though, that they miss the wood for the trees. I wonder if they and WC are reading Covid updates from around the world and SA health departments or watching bourse indices for the travel sector.

A virus is transmitted from host to host, it doesn't care how and who, foreign or local. Excluding SADC, EU, UK, North American - all have high and surging rates - are among SA's source of leisure, moneyed tourists. 

The DA, Winde and right-wing, which has the laissez faire approach of economy bf lives, are willing to make that calculus because they won't have to bear the consequences of a spike, an uncontrollable surge, in infections in WC and SA.

Here's a proposal to the travel industry, DA and Winde et al: permit travellers, as they want to do, under certain and safe conditions. But as happens in pandemics, if their guests contract Covid and infect locals, they personally, not the state, must pay for the medical, financial and economic consequences.

It's the classical liberal ideology isn't it, individual freedom, with the unspoken caveat, as long as they don't have to pay for it.

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