With sports slowly starting up again at schools after almost 18 months due to Covid-19 regulations and lockdown, parents were caught on camera by The Ladysmith Herald standing outside Monument School’s netball courts to try and catch a glimpse of their children in action and to show some support during the recent trials.
“It is extremely difficult to stay away and not watch our children participate in sport,” said one of the parents. The lack of spectators at many sport events has become the new normal, but parents feel that in communities like Ladysmith, school sport is one of the many highlights of a small town. Parents say they are happy that sports are slowly being reintroduced, but are finding it difficult to understand that there cannot be spectators, when malls and other places like towns are overcrowded. “We understand that Covid-19 is real and a super-spreader at large gatherings, but if we adhere to social distancing then I’m sure everything will be fine,” said one parent. Social media also highlighted the fact that parents are not allowed to be at school sport events and showed pictures of parents standing outside the school yards on the back of ‘bakkies’ to watch their sons play rugby.
