Covid-19: Day four and queues emerge again in Alex
ALEXANDRA – Decisive measures only answer for compliance with lockdown measures
Worry is growing that overcrowded places such as Alexandra may become the epicentre of the coronavirus if decisive steps are not taken to ensure full compliance with the national lockdown regulations.
City of Joburg Speaker Nonceba Molwele added to this concern in a statement saying, “With most of Johannesburg’s population residing in densely populated informal settlements and townships, they provide a perfect ground for the virus to spread quicker. It means that if people do not take the call of social distancing seriously, the virus will spread like wildfire.”
These long queues were seen on day four of the lockdown at shops and for grant payouts. Taxis were also in business after the announcement by transport minister Fikile Mbalula that they could operate from 5am to 9am and 4pm to 8pm.
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“While security guards manning gates at Alex mall were all alone in the earlier part of the morning, the opposite was at Pan Africa and Alex Plaza malls, and at nearby Freedom Square Centre and Yarona Building were grant recipients also queued from early morning before they joined queues of shoppers at the malls,” said proportional representative councillor Shadrack Mkhonto.
He was worried about the absence of the police and army. “Lessons should have been learnt from day one of the shutdown when crowds [gathered], and deployments should be made early to control anticipated throngs,” he added as again, social distancing was not upheld.
This, he said, was in addition to people loitering which continued despite the combined police and army effort on day three to get residents indoors.
Mkhonto was also concerned that people’s awareness of the danger of the virus may not be adequate.
“It may sink in if numbers of the infected and deaths that will occur among residents are made public.” He was concerned that some were seen drinking on the streets, and despite bottle stores being closed, people were seen exiting from the stores’ back doors and some were seen lighting cigarettes next to spaza shops where they most likely bought them from.
“In the absence of consistent and decisive police and army patrols, many will continue to take this thing [coronavirus] as a joke.”
Mkhonto was worried that the elderly who may have compromised immunity were not assisted as promised, with some seen in the queues despite it drizzling and being nippy.
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