Public events halted in some regions as Covid-19 infections spike

SOME regions in the province will no longer allow public events, and their facilities and venues will no longer available to the public in ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell, said the Garden Route had taken the decision to disallow all planned events in the regions until further notice.

“The region is seeing increases in Covid-19 infections. In addition there is an expectation of large numbers of visitors over the next few weeks which further increases the risk of infection. This requires drastic action which we not afraid to take,” Bredell said.

This as a decision on what measures the provincial government will take in curbing the spread of Covid-19 is expected to be announced tomorrow during Premier Alan Winde’s weekly digicon.

“Our work comes down to enforcing disaster management protocols to help slow down the spread of the virus in the Western Cape. We are doing enforcement with the resources at our disposal and in partnership with national SAPS, municipal law enforcement, the departments of labour and health, to name a few.”

Some of the enforcement steps taken across the province to date include: Black Friday Blitzes, roadblocks and visible enforcement in high risk areas, the George and Kannaland municipalities closing all sports facilities and public venues, including town halls.

Taverns, fuel stations on major routes and mass transportation hubs will continue to be visited to ensure compliance and municipal guidelines for camping facilities and venues where holidaymakers may find themselves are being formulated, Bredell said.

“If we don’t work together in the coming weeks, we may see the situation get increasingly worse.”

As of yesterday, the Western Cape has 9 683 active Covid-19 infections with a total of 131 269 confirmed cases.

“The Western Cape has recorded an additional 27 deaths, bringing the total number of Covid-19 related deaths in the province to 4 671. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time,” Winde said.

Addressing the provincial legislature, Good secretary-general Brett Herron said provincial government was looking to introduce local lockdowns.

“The DA and this government have consistently undermined the urgency and necessity of restrictions. If the science says we must return to lockdowns then we have no choice. But the DA, who must now implement a lockdown, have destroyed their own credibility on this issue. This is a culmination of unprincipled opportunism, conflicting messaging and political expediency. We could have avoided this second wave if DA leadership had stuck to the script and not tried to game the system for political purposes,” Herron said.

To report Covid-19 protocol violations, visit: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid- 19- business-safety-complaint-form or dial *134*234# to report non-compliance of public transport.