Van Bruwaene, LoreMustafa, FatimaCloete, JeaneGoga, Ameena EbrahimGreen, Robin J.2021-03-242021-03-242020-07Van Bruwaene, L., Mustafa, F., Cloete, J. et al. 2020, 'What are we doing to the children of South Africa under the guise of COVID-19 lockdown?', South African Medical Journal, vol. 110, no. 7, pp. 574-575.0256-9574 (print)2078-5135 (online)10.7196/SAMJ.2020. v110i7.14932http://hdl.handle.net/2263/79048In response to rising numbers of cases of COVID-19, which had been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the President of South Africa imposed a nationwide lockdown on 23 March 2020, effective on 27 March 2020. While some other countries seemed to panic, flounder and in some cases even turn their backs on the rising threat of COVID-19, for South Africa this was almost a Dunkirk moment. The nation showed an extraordinary degree of unity as the President implemented severe measures that have proved effective at ‘flattening the curve’.en© 2020, South African Medical Association. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Works License (CC BY-NC 3.0).COVID-19 pandemicCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)World Health Organization (WHO)South Africa (SA)ChildrenArticle