Covid-19 lost in the shuffle?

Apparently, highly transmissible Covid-19 is no longer a stimulant to cautious behavior.
While New Zealand and New Zealanders appear to have successfully applied vigilance – no new cases in past several days - cases in many parts of the world increase.
Your average South African-at-large appears to have concluded stay-at-home and lockdown orders are worthless. Accordingly, infection rates jump:

South Africa recorded 3,267 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the biggest jump since the pandemic began. The country is the worst hit in sub-Saharan Africa and has nearly a quarter of all cases on the continent, with 40,792 infections. 

Today, WhatsApp messages confirm a case in an upscale local retirement community. Two ways of viewing this news:
1) it could perpetuate the misinformation that, in South Africa, Covid-19 is a “white man’s disease” therefore life for majority is back to “normal” ,
2) if Covid-19 can show up in upscale tightly locked down communities, it can show up anywhere: extra vigilance required.

Week 11 - and relevant numbers from Johns Hopkins:
Worldwide: 6,635,004 confirmed infections; 391,180 deaths
US: 1,872,660 confirmed infections; 108,220 deaths
SA: 40792 confirmed infections with a one day increase of 3,267 new cases; 850 deaths

US: 10,000 protesters confirmed arrested across the US in protests decrying racism and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death. (See relevant numbers.)
SA: More than 230,000 people arrested due to violating regulations; 11 dead in “police action” during the lockdown
The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere reached 417.2 parts per million in May, 2.4ppm higher than the peak of 414.8ppm in 2019, according to readings from the Mauna Loa observatory in the US.  This, despite the impact of the global effects of the coronavirus crisis.

News blues…

Congruent with Donald Trump’s unerring knack for choosing the wrong path for the country, he

...has confirmed the White House coronavirus task force will be winding down, with Vice-President Mike Pence suggesting it could be disbanded within weeks.
"We are bringing our country back," Mr Trump said during a visit to a mask-manufacturing factory in Arizona.
New confirmed infections per day in the US currently top 20,000, and daily deaths exceed 1,000.

This, despite professional advice that ”large protests against police brutality across the nation, could lead to a spike in new cases.”

***

Another webinar from Daily Maverick, “The Fight Against Misinformation: How to verify like a pro.”

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Cold weather convinced me to take down the protective mosquito net around my bed. Alas, there are no protective nets against spiders and I suspect a spider snacked on my right eye lid. Swelling and bruising affects working on the laptop and iPhone.
Moreover, burnout resulted from obsessive catching up on news since my Internet was reconnected.
Today, I plan to reconnect with the garden. Canna plant eradication goes on.

Read   Week 1 |   Week 2   |  Week 3  |  Week 4 |  Week 5  | Week 6  |  Week 7  |  Week 8  |  Week 9  |  Week 10   |   Week 11  |  

See photos  Spying on Garden Creatures 

Watch  Videos of Garden Creatures