Media coverage shows increased calls to reopen the economy

11 Jun 2020

South African media coverage in the second week of lockdown alert Level 3 shows increased calls for the economy to be reopened, as some school learners went back to class. Various sectors of South African society, from opposition parties to business, have voiced concerns about the continued closure in some parts of the South African economy.

Media coverage shows increased calls to reopen the economy

On Monday, 8 June 2020, grade 7 and grade 12 learners reopened schools for the first time since the lockdown began, which some are questioning from a safety perspective. This move led to further discussions about sanitation and social distancing in public schools that tend to have more learners in classrooms than their independent counterparts. Following the reopening, Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi announced that 38 schools in the province have reported Covid-19 cases.

This week’s media coverage analysis includes sample data of 3,326 media items collected from online media platforms, print and broadcast sources from 3 to 9 June 2020. With this being the eleventh infographic in the series, since 1 April 2020, the conversations are beginning to change from flattening the curve to opening up the economy. South Africans on both social media and the media are talking about challenges they face as some have no income during lockdown.