Throughout the early months of 2020, COVID-19 rapidly changed how the world functioned, with the closure of borders, schools and workplaces, national lockdowns, and the rapid normalization of “self-isolation” and “social distancing”. However, while public health recommendations were broadly universal, human capacity to accordingly transform everyday life has differed significantly. We use the example of South Africa to highlight the privileged nature of the ability to transform one’s life in response to COVID-19, arguing that the virus both highlights and exacerbates existing inequalities in access to infrastructure. For those living in urban poverty in South Africa, where access to basic infrastructure is limited, and where overcrowding and high density are the norm, it is frequently impossible to transform daily life in the required ways. The failure of global public health recommendations to recognize these inequalities, and to adapt advice to national and local contexts, reveals significant limitations that extend beyond this specific global pandemic.

在2020年前几个月，COVID-19随着边界，学校和工作场所的关闭，国家禁闭以及“自我孤立”和“社会隔离”的迅速正常化，迅速改变了世界的运作方式。但是，尽管公共卫生建议在全世界范围内普遍存在，但人类相应改变日常生活的能力却有很大差异。我们以南非为例，强调应对COVID-19改变自己的生活的特权性质，认为该病毒既突出并加剧了现有基础设施使用中的不平等。对于那些生活在南非城市贫困中，无法获得基本基础设施以及人满为患和高密度居住为常态的人来说，通常不可能以所需的方式改变日常生活。