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LET’S FACE REALITY

28/05/2020 01:03:00 The Editor

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Governments the world over have now realised the need to ease lockdowns and open up businesses to save their suffocating economies as it becomes more obvious that without an economy, there will be no resources to fight the coronavirus pandemic or save people from joblessness and starvation.

Eswatini is among these, having adopted a partial lockdown that has been eased and extended.
However,Cabinet has been pushed by parliament to speed up the process of opening up more sectors and rightly so, in the absence of a tangible relief programme that would ensure jobs are safe and businesses are sustained throughout the lockdown.

The informal sector has been the hardest hit with no assistance in sight, making it imperative that they be saved by expediting the regulations demanded by Parliament. The rising number of layoffs is simply catastrophic for our small fragile economy. A quick rethink on our strategy is inevitable, which calls for a review of restricting the trading hours of businesses and bleeding the economy through the loss of sin tax, among others.

Though undesirable, the liquor industry makes a highly significant impact on the livelihoods of many. We may not need to open the public drinking holes that cause people to gather in numbers, but liquor outlets ought to be opened with regulations that compel people to purchase and consume their beverages in their homes.

That is more economical and better to manage than the health hazard being caused by the home-made brews and concoctions that have already claimed lives in neighbouring countries.

This country needs to quickly adapt to life with COVID-19 because it will be with us for some time to come until a vaccine is made available. The rising number of recoveries, which now surpass active cases, is a reminder that COVID-19 is not a death sentence and that we can live through it as with all other pandemics. However, it must be avoided by all means as some people may not be so lucky to survive it – especially those with compromised immune systems.

Focus, therefore, should be directed towards inculcating responsible behaviour through the adoption of healthy eating habits and exercise, social distancing, hygiene practices and the wearing of masks. This can be done without throttling the economy.