From the time the first cases of Covid-19 were identified in South Africa, the government insisted that it would ‘follow the science’. This was greeted with excitement by medical scientists and many who shape the public debate. Their response was understandable for two reasons: one was a product of international developments, the other the result of recent South African history.

The global trend is one in which (usually right-wing) governments and citizens deny the reality of Covid-19. They minimise its severity and reject measures to prevent its spread, ranging from face masks to restrictions on economic, social and religious activity. This response is often seen as ‘anti-science’ because it denies available knowledge and is accompanied by claims which are supported by no credible evidence. In the initial stages of the virus's spread, much of this reaction was prompted by opposition to protective measures, either because they harmed the economic interests of the ‘anti-scientists’ or because government measures which tell citizens that they may not gather in bars and restaurants or attend religious services were considered an interference in personal enjoyment or expression. (Later, when vaccines were developed, rejection of the science became more complicated, stretching from right-wing conspiracy theorists to black people who may be reacting to a history of abuse by medical science.)

Its effect was always to compromise health and lives. The two countries whose leaders were most identified with this approach, the United States of America and Brazil, suffered particularly severe outbreaks. While, as will be seen, this was a rejection of common sense as much as of science, it was widely perceived as an insistence on placing political and economic considerations ahead of hard scientific evidence which showed that the virus is potentially deadly and that swift and strong measures are needed to protect against it. When governments were urged to ‘follow the science’, this meant that they should place the health of their citizens ahead of other priorities. It was assumed that they could best do this by listening to scientists rather than rightwing ideologues.

The government's response to the arrival of Covid-19 seemed to indicate both that it took the virus seriously and that it planned to rely on scientific advice.