‘We’ll fight them on the beaches’

Businesses on the Garden Route go to court over the newly announced festive season beach closures.

After being declared a coronavirus hotspot, the Garden Route is not taking the closure of its beaches lying down.

The Garden Route District Coordinating Forum will lobby national government and the National Coronavirus Command Council to allow beaches in the area to reopen and only close on the same days as those in KwaZulu-Natal, which are 16, 25, 26 and 31 December, as well as from 1 to 3 January.

National government is also facing potential court challenges to the new hotspot regulations.

In a statement on Mossel Bay’s official Facebook page on Tuesday, mayor Harry Levendal made it clear the town was still ready to welcome visitors.

“Mossel Bay is open for business, the municipality supports local economic development and, therefore, invites visitors to enjoy the many affordable attractions, ” Levendal said. “Also, many of the activities in the bay, including surfing, are not taboo. Estuaries, lagoons, quays, launch sites and open coastal waters are still accessible. With beautiful rivers in the greater Mossel Bay, the youngsters can still frolic in the river’s water and even build sandcastles on the river banks.”

The Garden Route District Municipality has called for urgent behavioural change and for a strict adherence to health protocols after being declared a hotspot.

As of 15 December, South Africa had about 85 000 active Covid-19 infections according to official government’s figures. The Garden Route accounts for 5 292 of these cases.