City activates festive season ‘master plan’
AS THE festive season draws closer, the City has activated its readiness plan for visitors and residents.
The City said due to the resurgence of Covid-19 cases, its plan had to be augmented to include the health directorate.
Safety and Security executive director Richard Bosman said: “We have fine-tuned our master plan over many years with the help of external partners like the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), SPCA and the police. If the weather plays along, we will no doubt be extremely busy over the peak of the festive season.
“It is imperative that we keep Covid-19 and the risk of exposure top of mind in everything that we do this season.
“Boxing Day and New Year’s Day are of particular concern, as historically, these are massive beach days, and we advise the public to exploit the additional days available to them to enjoy a day out with their families.”
The City’s main focus will be targeting bars and taverns. The City’s Liquor Unit confiscated nearly 20 000 bottles (11 535 63 litres) of alcohol during the last summer season. Since the resumption of alcohol sales in terms of the disaster regulations, the City’s enforcement services have seen a steady increase in alcohol-related arrests on the roads.
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said: “We’ve mentioned before that alcohol-related trauma places an unnecessary burden on the health system, particularly now that we are needing those resources to combat the Covid-19 resurgence.
“It also places pressure on our limited enforcement resources, which are stretched at the best of times. Add to this the enforcement of ongoing land invasion attempts, and it becomes clear that our staff and their fellow enforcement services are being put through the wringer.
“My appeal to the public is to stay on the side of right this festive season, and be part of the solution.”
The City has postponed a number of major events like the Festive Lights Switch On, the annual Minstrels events and all City-run summer markets scheduled to take place during the festive period.