The country's testing and tracing have not been at a level needed to suppress the spread of the disease.
A taxi driver been given protective equipment at a roadblock. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
South Africa introduced a lockdown early. It couldn’t afford, or adequately implement, a lockdown for long enough and effectively enough to contain the virus. Unfortunately, the country has also not been able to implement testing and tracing at a level needed to suppress the spread. It turns out that much of the average is made up of a few super-spreading events and a majority of weak spreaders. Super-spreading can be tied to one-off events, such as a religious gathering, or a recurring high-risk setting – such as a call centre with many workers in an enclosed open plan setting. In the case of influenza, schools and universities are associated with super-spreading due to the frequent grouping of people into enclosed classrooms and canteens.
Second, there are the social spaces that connect households within a community. A community refers to multiple households in close proximity to each other – such as in a district or town. Local shops, stores, local schools and restaurants create opportunities for transmission to occur between households within a community.
In theory, a strong generalised lockdown successfully implemented early enough could close both social spaces, restricting the further spread of the epidemic to that within the households. If these household members did not have contact with others, the disease would become extinct. Second, it means the following general requirements for all spaces that are essential for the maintenance of the economy and society:Require physical distancing wherever possible. Staff who can work from home should be required to do so.
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