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Home / My candid view - Covid-19: Onus is now on athletes to play it safe

My candid view - Covid-19: Onus is now on athletes to play it safe

2020-07-10  Otniel Hembapu

My candid view - Covid-19: Onus is now on athletes to play it safe

The Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) recently announced measures and guidelines that will apply to all sport codes under stage 4 of the government’s Covid-19 emergency response program, and the NSC’s pronouncement was quite crystal clear that the hosting of all planned sport events should, at all times, be done under the strict health protocols and within the confines of the prescribed Covid-19 guidelines.
Under stage 4 of the Covid-19 emergency response program, all sport activities are allowed to return and equally permitted to host events but attendance was, however, limited to 250 persons per event, and all necessary safety steps such social distancing, washing and sanitising of hands must be fully followed.

The NSC also advised that federations planning to host events should make sure that thermometers are available at all entry points of venues to monitor the temperatures of those attending events and a mandatory register should also be kept at all entry points at all material times.
With the NSC and government having so far played their part in providing needed guidance and technical assistance where necessary under the prevailing circumstances, it now lives fully up to the federations and the athletes to make sure strict adherence to the set health measures and regulations is observed to avoid the further spread of Covid-19.

In this hour of need for Namibian sports, athletes have a far greater responsibility stretching beyond the field of play to voluntarily become health ambassadors for their respective teams, clubs, federations, and by extension health ambassadors for the entire sport sector to help combat this deadly virus.

The NSC and government can only do so much from their end, but the larger responsibility of Namibia beating this virus solely rests with us as individuals in our personal spaces and how we conduct ourselves is of paramount importance as that will go a long way in determining how Namibia will emerge from this ugly calamity called Covid-19.

Every day, there is some or other self-proclaimed expert detailing that the virus will kill everyone or that the virus is a hoax. But the reality is different. The virus is real and the merits of its potential to cause harm have to be respected.
The essence of understanding the threat of Covid-19 is to understand one’s responsibility to oneself and the larger community, and that in turn further calls upon all of us to take far greater responsibility and pride in being part of the collective striving to beat this noxious virus. Until next time, sharp sharp!! 


2020-07-10  Otniel Hembapu

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