Worry over people not wearing masks

A concerned member of the public contacted the Mossel Bay Advertiser, saying that people were walking around in malls without masks and even staff in shops were not wearing masks properly, with the mask being around the chin, not over the nose and mouth.

The rule at malls and shops is: no mask, no entry.

Members of the public are reminded that wearing a mask is compulsory. This means that when one steps out of one's property, one should be wearing a mask.

Gerhard Otto, head of the Garden Route District Municipality Disaster Management Centre, said: "The owner of the premises people are entering - whether it be a pharmacy, shop or mall, even the municipality - must enforce that people wear masks.

The owner of the property can be held responsible if people are not wearing masks."

Otto said he was extremely impressed with shopowners during Black Friday. He said: "Shopowners told people to get out of their premises if they were not wearing masks. Masks must cover the nose and mouth," he stressed.

You can report violations of Covid-19 lockdown rules using an online complaint form available at: https://coronavirus. westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-businesssafety-complaintform or dial *134*234# to report non-compliance on public transport.

For Covid-19 health-related information, call the provincial Covid-19 toll-free hotline number: 080 928 4102.

If you have a general query, call the Western Cape government's contact centre: 0860 142 142.