Thabo, a TV presenter, model, and environmental activist, commutes every day using a taxi, he is taking proactive steps to protect himself and others.
Johannesburg, South Africa (17 March 2020) – Self-isolation isn’t an option for every South African, the vast majority of South Africans live in informal settlements where multiple family members share one living space. It is also a reality that the use of taxis can be crowded.
All these South Africans are at risk if the Coronavirus ends up spreading. One man is taking proactive steps to minimise his risk as well as those on his morning taxi commute. Thabo, who goes by Papa Cuba on Twitter, shared a thread on the platform, showcasing his steps to prevention and has many suggestions for the government.
“Like Many South African’s, I had to take a taxi to work this morning & it wasn’t something I couldn’t avoid. To protect others from me, I wore a mask. I carried hand sanitizer with me & I wore gloves because I am going to use public transport & touching doors & seats.”
Thabo did something that is awe-inspiring! He captured images of all the taxis he travelled on so that should he become infected, he could provide the information to the relevant authorities to make the process of track and trace somewhat easier.
First thing I did is keep track of every Taxi that I takes Number plates. For Incase I get infected, they can track those taxis down & take them off the road & monitor the population along the route which may have been points in contact. pic.twitter.com/4vdZdODXV1
— Papa Cuba (@ThaboBluebird) March 16, 2020
Thabo feels that due to travelling in such closed quarters, that more should be done to support taxi drivers and commuters. He said the space was a good place to start with education about the virus.
When the taxi is moving, people touch different points to stabilize themselves. Which is another point where the virus can spread. However many people wanted to know where can they get gloves & masks. Taxi drivers were also very curious pic.twitter.com/ACB6hNCaoR
— Papa Cuba (@ThaboBluebird) March 16, 2020
He shared some tips that he feels the government should really take note of!
•young people are starting to wear masks & Gloves
•Money exchange in Taxis is going to spread contact infections, there needs to be an immediate intervention
•The elderly are not fully aware what’s happening
•we need to prioritize the elderly, they use public taxis a lot— Papa Cuba (@ThaboBluebird) March 16, 2020
Some advice & ideas people have been sharing with me:
•Disinfect your money
•Carry exact change for your taxi commute.
•frequently disinfect your keys and phone.
•share sanitizer with fellow commuters (squirt it for them, don’t pass it around)— Papa Cuba (@ThaboBluebird) March 17, 2020
Thabo is proactive in his daily commute, and we hope that officials see his suggestions and take them seriously. This pandemic is changing the way we live for the moment, and if we can inform as many people as possible, we should! The sooner the South African population takes steps to protect themselves and others, the better!