Editorial: Coping with Covid

I am pleased to report that SACJ has been able to publish on schedule in July 2020 despite the Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. South Africa, like many other countries, has been severely impacted by prevention measures. South African academics have had to try to work out how to do remote delivery of courses with inadequate resources. At my own university, there has been a major upsurge in students supported by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). These students are from poor families, many with no prior exposure to higher education, and from all over the country as well as further afield. As one of the country’s smallest universities, we have also become one of the most diverse. I hope we do not lose significant numbers of students to the additional academic stresses. In this editorial I look at how academia can respond to a crisis like this. I also outline an upcoming special issue and some transitions including a sad event arising from the pandemic, a warning to all of us.