And we thought arresting surfers was bad

HOWARD FELDMAN

If we are fair (which we probably aren’t), the complexities of each decision and the interconnectivity of a social and economic network makes it almost impossible to get everything right. No matter how logical a decision might be in isolation, when zooming out, there is a great chance it will look more than a little bizarre. Much like the short-sleeved T-shirt and open-toed shoe restrictions do.

Last week, my son asked me to replace the fan in his room. It’s strange, but even in winter, he needs this to help him sleep. When I went online, however, it turned out that I could buy him a heater but not a fan. I have no idea why the heating element apparently made it acceptable, but there you have it.

In Tel Aviv, during the easing of lockdown, people were allowed to swim in the sea but not stop on the beach. Dawdling wasn’t tolerated. The logic was sound, and based on the idea that it was acceptable to swim for exercise or stress, but the authorities didn’t want people socialising on the beach. In practice, however, it just sounded odd.

I have no way to explain what happened in Nigeria, however. According to the BBC, two hotels in that country were demolished because they defied the rules of lockdown. I’m not making this up. I read the article twice, checked that it was the real BBC, and then tried to see what I was missing. And I still have no idea why they were hosting guests when it was prohibited according to Nigeria’s COVID-19 laws. The state governor, Nyesom Wike, who supervised the demolition, claimed that the operators had “flouted” an order to close.

And we thought arresting surfers was bad?

In the United States, land of the free, a hairdresser was arrested and spent days in jail because she chose to open her salon. In England, Piers Morgan is considering getting a temporary construction job for himself and his sons so that he can see them (he isn’t really, but he did Tweet that to make a point). The rules are so complex and convoluted that very little makes sense.

Because no one really knows how best to achieve whatever it is that we are trying to achieve.

More challenging than the state of total lockdown is the period in between. We know this from politics. It’s significantly less challenging to maintain a position on the far right or far left of the political divide than to exist in the messy middle. The middle requires thought, contemplation, and decision. And as South Africa tries to get back to a functioning economy that balances the health risks of its citizens with economic reality, it’s more likely that many of the regulations will seem to be irrational.

Some countries have responded better than others to the COVID-19 crisis. Only the perspective of time will determine which is which. In the meantime, I’m going to try and cut the South African government some slack. Even if the T-shirt thing continues to confound me.