The figures from Wednesday’s Covid-19 daily update were quite encouraging. With only five new cases discovered out of the nearly 4,600 tests carried out and more than half the 2,000+ confirmed cases having recovered, it is an indication that something right is being done. The key to the latest results is effective preventive measures put in place by medical experts. But those alone would not be effective without some form of enforcement. The avoidance of crowded place, curfew hours, and closing bars has greatly contributed to the fight. Last week the government released figures of people arrested flouting anti-Covid-19 guidelines in the last half of July. Most are those caught outdoors during curfew hours. In that case, the police conduct that person to the nearest stadium which has been turned into a temporary police station. There the culprit is booked (if the person is driving the car is impounded to be released only after paying a hefty fine the next morning). The stadium “accommodation” has been a source of controversy but the police argue that it is not a detention but a processing facility where people are also sensitized on the dangers of Covid-19 and irresponsible behaviours that help spread it. Becoming an evening a guest at a cold stadium seems to have a shock treatment effect but a necessary one. It is not rare to see speeding cars rushing to beat the call of the stadium. But that also calls for people to better plan their evenings and travel because the rush of going home a few minutes to the curfew is a recipe for disaster.
