National state of disaster must end; legal action is coming – Solidarity
18 January 2022
he Solidarity Movement, including Solidarity and AfriForum, took a stand today by declaring that no further reasons exists for the current state of disaster, which has been in operation for about 22 months, to remain in force. This comes after the state of disaster was extended again by the government.
According to Solidarity Movement Chairperson Flip Buys, it seems that the pandemic is now entering an endemic phase. Furthermore, it appears that increased group immunity against Covid-19 can now be detected with the Omicron variant, resulting in less serious illness and fewer deaths. “The fact that the virus is now endemic means the virus won’t disappear, but we will have to learn to live with the virus. It also means that exceptional measures by the state, such as those that can be instituted under a state of disaster, are no longer necessary in an effort to control the virus,” Buys said.
According to Buys, the Movement is also very concerned about the state of schools in South Africa due to the restrictions that hamper education. “The fact that many schools are still unable to return to a normal way of functioning intensifies the concerns about the future of a whole generation of learners,” Buys said.
Both AfriForum and Solidarity will proceed with legal action in order to ask the courts to end the state of disaster.