The newspapers are full of headlines such as 'Bulawayo is New Epicentre of Virus' and 'Bulawayo Takes Lead in Virus Cases'. I point these out to Sian and Ellie as we are driving along as examples of the way that the press sensationalises news. I am not downplaying the threat of the coronavirus, but I don't believe that an extra 25 cases (not deaths) justifies the hype.
I also don't believe that it is right for the press to create and spread alarm and nor should we, as the public, buy into the fear. For it is this fear that is worse than anything else. I feel that same feeling I used to have playing hide and seek and knowing someone was 'coming to get me'. I know we have the added problems here that our health care system is collapsing and private care, even for people on medical aid, is prohibitively expensive, but I don't feel that living with the expectation that millions are about to die is good for us either.
Some say our figures are grossly underestimated and that far more people are infected than we know, and others are skeptical of the figures because they do not necessarily take into consideration other factors such as the general health of the people contracting it. Whatever the case, you can probably be quite sure that towards the end of the month, when strike action has been planned to protest against government corruption and ineptitude, our cases will drastically increase and a stricter lockdown will be imposed.
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