Virus, what virus?
Judging by the activities this past weekend, it seems many people in Knysna still think Corona is just another Mexican beer they can’t yet drink.
An Indian summer’s day with temperatures over 30°C on Sunday 2 August brought crowds to some Garden Route beaches where masks, social distancing and all rules prohibiting people from being on the beach seemingly blew away with the balmy wind. On 30 July there was a government announcement that people, under lockdown level 3, will be allowed to leave their homes for leisure purposes within the province they live. No specific announcement was made about relaxing beach regulations – which clearly state that only fishermen are allowed on the beach. But this didn’t seem to deter people on Sunday "making hay while the sun shone" – without fishing rods, armed rather with picnics and braai packs. And there was no sign, at Buffalo Bay anyway, of any kind of policing.
On Buffalo Bay beach, it was busy. On the beach, in the water, at the restaurant and every picnic site. The parking lot was full including every other nook and cranny that could fit a vehicle. Braai spots at Buffs, as the beach is affectionately known, were taken early in the morning and there were happy gatherings of people without masks for pizzas on the deck of the Buffalo Bay Restaurant.
Down the road at CapeNature’s Goukamma property, however, was a reminder that there are apparently still Covid-lockdown regulations, with no access allowed to the picnic area along the river. Right of admission is reserved for only those with an online booking in advance, and for those fishing or hiking. The previous weekend, a trip to walk Robberg was met with the same approach by CapeNature, which also insisted on an online booking for the purposes of fishing in the area.
The SANParks website is clear on the subject: “The reservations office at SANParks remains closed until further notice. Due to the current Covid-19 lockdown regulations, national parks remain closed until further notice.” “Social gatherings are illegal. The beach is no go area,” was the response from Southern Cape police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie. "Nobody seems to care anymore. It’s not even a case of apathy. It is actually malicious for people to flaunt the laws the way they did on the beach." Pojie said the public has a co-responsibility to work with the police. "We are doing our best to beef up hotspots that we identify, but we are limited in numbers," he explained, and urged people to understand that the police are also “having to be cautious about our own lives and getting the virus”.
Comment was also sought from Knysna Municipality, but no response was forthcoming by the time of going to print.
‘It is actually malicious for people to flaunt the laws the way they did on the beach’