
Sep 19 , 2020
By Kidist Yidnekachew ( Kidist Yidnekachew has degrees in psychology and journalism and communications. She can be reached at kidyyidnekachew@gmail.com. )
Many changes have been witnessed since the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic started wreaking havoc across the world, on economies as well as on social relations.
We have seen Tiktok, a video sharing social platform, become arguably the primary destination for creative content, invaded by celebrities looking to exploit its popularity. We have seen the suspension, if not the death, of social norms, such as shaking hands when greeting. Our hands are slightly less smooth after all the washing with soap and alcohol we have been doing.
Even though the adjustments were linear for every corner of the world, there was one place where they were going to be a hard sell - Ethiopia. The land of daily communal coffee gatherings and tactile greetings, often with cheek kissing, was predicted not to be likely to follow the pandemic rules. Let us also not forget the gursha, an affectionate gesture where one person feeds another by hand.
Fortunately, people showed sense and did take to the new rules. The tactile greetings were suddenly gone, masks were being worn, and some social distancing rules were being adhered to. Makeshift hand washing stations were outside of every bank branch and supermarket, and grassroots public charities popped up to distribute food items to the less privileged.
But whether or not precautions were taken satisfactorily was questionable. Given the relatively large proportion of the population that lives on subsistence, efforts at social distancing were estimated to fail anyways - at least that was the assumption.
Curiously, neglect of the precautions became worse as the number of daily reported cases increased. By the time there were around 1,000 COVID-19 cases being reported every day, business went on as usual. With the expiration of the five-month national emergency invoked to combat the spread of the virus, just in time for the New Year celebrations, it was as if COVID-19 never existed.
What happened? Was it the realisation that quarantine was only possible for higher-income folks? Was it the slowing economy? Was it the inflating cost of living? Why are we no longer social distancing? Why hasn't the election been reinstated?
People going to work because they can no longer afford to stay at home is one thing. But the recently emerging videos of jam-packed night clubs, people breathing and sweating on each other, is another. One video of such a night club brings to mind memories of the sweat-fest of a party thrown in one scene of The Matrix: Reloaded.
But this was not all. There were also private parties, flouted on social media.
Is our individual will to live and self-preserve dependent on the government's attitude? If the government does not tell us to protect ourselves, do we just go wild?
The answer seems to be in the affirmative. Recently, a visiting friend from the United States was elated to learn that he was not allowed to wear a mask inside a church. It is only slightly less shocking that he is a Donald Trump supporter.
It is hard not to believe that the spike in the number of cases has been our own doing. With all of the holiday revelry going around, it is likely that a couple of weeks from now, there will be yet another explosion of cases. It will be critical to recognise then that the reason for this is our own actions and not simply a consequence of our under-privileged position as a developing country.
What is important here is to acknowledge that many have been under harsh financial constraints for months now. Take me, for example. It has been a while since I have been able to pay rent on time. It is hard to consider where I would be, and I am sure the same is true for many people, if it was not for the credit some kiosks provide. But the clubbing and total neglect of safety precautions we see in some places are not in any way explainable by the financial hardships many are feeling.
To repeat, it is our fault.
PUBLISHED ON
Sep 19,2020 [ VOL
21 , NO
1064]
Editorial | Aug 31,2019
Radar | Sep 19,2020
Radar | Mar 05,2022
Radar | Jun 18,2022
Viewpoints | May 23,2020
Radar | Jul 06,2019
Agenda | Oct 24,2020
Radar | Aug 21,2021
Commentaries | Aug 13,2022
Commentaries | Jun 20,2020
Photo Gallery | 77861 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 69878 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fortune News | 56211 Views | Jul 18,2020
Fineline | 55371 Views | Oct 03,2020
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
Sep 30 , 2023
The recent gathering by the leadership - and the rank and file - of the Prosperity Pa...
Sep 23 , 2023
Ethiopia's contemporary political leaders and the policy wonks under their command ha...
Sep 16 , 2023
The Ethiopian economic narrative oscillates between pockets of resilience and signifi...
Sep 10 , 2023
Earlier this Ethiopian fiscal year, the heralding of a peace deal became synonymous w...
Sep 30 , 2023
A staple vegetable's price is ringing alarm bells. Onion prices have skyrocketed, with a kilo costing up to 120 Br on certain days. For man...
Sep 30 , 2023 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
A vital shift is on the horizon for Ethiopia's manufacturers, who once thrived on exports braced by the A...
Sep 30 , 2023 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
In a move rattling the coffee industry, officials of the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority have impose...
Sep 30 , 2023 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
Applying advanced reproductive biotechnology to dairy cattle is indicated as a way to rectify the underwh...