National Hard Lockdown Must End, Urges DA Leader John Steenhuisen

John Steenhuisen – Leader of the Democratic Alliance – was one of many South Africans who were not impressed with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on Wednesday evening.

“President Ramaphosa delivered a speech but said very little,” Steenhuisen said in a statement on Wednesday night.

“Essentially, he doubled down on what has been a tragically flawed approach that has wreaked catastrophic, unnecessary and possibly irreparable damage to our country.”

Steenhuisen is of the firm belief that SA’s economy and society “must be opened up now, to save lives and livelihoods from all types of risks, not just Covid.”

Ramaphosa had cautioned that lifting lockdown too abruptly would “risk a rapid and unmanageable surge in infections”, but Steenhuisen insists Lockdown should end “swiftly”, and that it has been “irrational and disproportionate to the scale of the risk that Covid poses, relative to other risks. And it has not been supported by an adequate safety net for poor people and small businesses.”

According to the President, projections show that without Lockdown at least 80,000 South Africans would now have the virus (compared to the 12,000 that have tested positive), but Steenhuisen says “this lockdown has cost more lives than it has saved. Millions of jobs and lives have been destroyed.”

Ramaphosa said that as of today 219 people in SA have succumbed to the virus. By contrast, at a similar stage countries like the US had recorded over 22,000 deaths, and the UK over 19,000 deaths.

Steenhuisen accused Ramaphosa of playing on people’s fears, and said that the Covid response should be based on facts.

The first fact, says Steenhuisen, is that the virus cannot be eliminated. “It will be with us for the near future. A rise and peak in infections is inevitable in the coming months, whether we lockdown or not. Lockdown can delay but not reduce the number of infections,” he said.

South Africa needs to get back to work immediately, urged the DA leader, suggesting the following measures to slow the spread of the virus:

• A reasonable set of safety regulations for businesses, public transport, schools and households. All regulations must have a direct, undeniable and meaningful impact on slowing the spread of the virus. This would include the use of masks, sanitising, screening and physical distancing. Any business or school not able to comply should remain closed.
• Anyone who can work from home should be allowed to do so. No parent should be forced to send their child to school if they do not deem it safe to do so.
• Recommended continued lockdown for the aged and those with any of the core co-morbidities.
• Localised lockdowns only in “hotspots”, where this is still possible.

“The success of covid interventions depends on the buy-in and cooperation of citizens. The secretive, force-based, centrally-controlled ANC lockdown should immediately be replaced with this transparent, trust-based approach that puts more decision-making power in peoples’ hands. Compliance and safety will increase,” said Steenhuisen.

“The early hard lockdown was a justifiable precautionary step, since there were many more unknowns then. But evidence that has come online since then shows that the covid mortality rate was greatly overestimated. Our approach must adjust accordingly.”

He said the last 2-4 weeks of lockdown have not been “necessary, rational or justified”… and have merely delayed the inevitable peak, rather than actually saving lives.

“The DA supported the first 3-week national lockdown, to buy time to gather healthcare resources and prepare hospitals. Sadly, this did not happen, except in the Western Cape. Heads must roll,” Steenhuisen said in the statement.

Steenhuisen said the DA is calling on the government to do the following:

• Greatly ramp up direct cash transfers, to urgently get help to as many hungry people as possible. This is faster and cheaper than food parcels.
• Be transparent about the assumptions underpinning the government’s response, and with all data that we have requested.
• End the military curfew and exercise restrictions.
• Allow unfettered e-commerce.
• Lift the ban on cigarettes and alcohol sales.
• Reinstate the separation of powers to enable executive oversight.

“To lockdown hard and fast was the easy part. It required no real leadership, analysis or courage. The hard part, that requires brave leadership and honest analysis is to know when to end the lockdown,” said Steenhuisen, adding:

“The DA repeats our warning that if government doesn’t end this lockdown, the people will end it for them.”