Now it’s a race against the clock

Jesse Josias on his way to the finish line in the mens 4x100m sprint event at Saturdays WP Junior championships, at Parow Stadium. Athletics South Africa has postponed all athletics events for 30 days.

It’s hardly surprising that in light of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus that various events, including sporting events, have been called off or postponed.

It was only a matter of time before the virus spread to our shores. And, with not a minute to waste, organisers of events, big and small, decided on a course of action to minimise the impact of the virus.

Earlier this year, Covid-19, commonly referred to as coronavirus, broke out in Wuhan, China, and, in a matter of weeks, spread across the world.

In his address to the nation on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa also noted that, following consultations, the government decided to take drastic measures to manage the disease, protect South Africans and reduce its impact on the economy.

President Ramaphosa encouraged social distancing, to prevent sick people from coming into close contact with healthy people in order to reduce opportunities for disease transmission.

Gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited. This has a direct impact on sports activities, whether major or minor events.