No one in South Africa wants to hear the words lockdown or coronavirus ever again. Those two words evoke a sense of fear and pessimism, not forgetting the reverberating effects it had on the local economy.
Those people fortunate enough, could work from home but others were forced to stay home and subjected to pay cuts, while also playing a waiting game as to whether they would still have a job the next day. Thankfully, the country seems to be in a better space at the moment and life resembling some sort of normality.
Though it was a grim situation to be in overall, the national lockdown did present some sort of silver lining(s). Gumtree outlines a few reasons how the national lockdown was beneficial:
Working from home
The lockdown proved hands-down that it is possible for companies to allow employees to work from home, permanently. Most people have access to Wi-Fi connectivity these days which is literally all that is needed to complete duties.
Keeping busy
All the free time at home meant that the chore you've been delaying for the longest time finally got the attention it 'deserved'. In the same breath, that 1000-piece puzzle or LEGO car replica set that's just been sitting there gathering dust now has the ideal setting to be tackled.
Cleaner air, less traffic
A reduced number of cars and trucks on the road means less CO2 emissions floating around. This meant that the environment benefitted from a breath of fresh air - no pun intended. The lack of cars on the road also lowered the rate of accidents.
Plenty of saving
Because malls were closed there was no point to be driving around, with provision only made for medical and food essentials. Many people filled up their tanks before the lockdown and still operated with the same fuel due to being inactive.
Those people fortunate enough, could work from home but others were forced to stay home and subjected to pay cuts, while also playing a waiting game as to whether they would still have a job the next day. Thankfully, the country seems to be in a better space at the moment and life resembling some sort of normality.
Though it was a grim situation to be in overall, the national lockdown did present some sort of silver lining(s). Gumtree outlines a few reasons how the national lockdown was beneficial:
Working from home
The lockdown proved hands-down that it is possible for companies to allow employees to work from home, permanently. Most people have access to Wi-Fi connectivity these days which is literally all that is needed to complete duties.
Keeping busy
All the free time at home meant that the chore you've been delaying for the longest time finally got the attention it 'deserved'. In the same breath, that 1000-piece puzzle or LEGO car replica set that's just been sitting there gathering dust now has the ideal setting to be tackled.
Cleaner air, less traffic
A reduced number of cars and trucks on the road means less CO2 emissions floating around. This meant that the environment benefitted from a breath of fresh air - no pun intended. The lack of cars on the road also lowered the rate of accidents.
Plenty of saving
Because malls were closed there was no point to be driving around, with provision only made for medical and food essentials. Many people filled up their tanks before the lockdown and still operated with the same fuel due to being inactive.
