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As Covid-19 infections and the number of deaths continued to rise in the Western Cape on Friday, the province’s prime minister, Alan Winde, said the exercise regulations for the level 4 blockade “lack common sense “
This after many capetonianos, who made use of the relaxed regulations that allowed walking, jogging and cycling between 06:00 and 09:00, descended to public spaces, such as the Sea Point promenade.
This raised questions about adherence to physical distancing in a province with the highest number of Covid-19 infections recorded.
READ | South Africans take to the streets on day 1 of the level 4 blockade
As of 1:00 p.m. Friday, the Western Cape had registered 2,536 confirmed cases, according to a Winde statement.
This is 165 more cases than the previous day.
Two more people also died, bringing the death toll in the province to 48.
There were 696 recoveries recorded in the Western Cape, bringing active cases to 1,792, with 106 people hospitalized, 35 of them in intensive care units.
Unfortunate
Winde said Friday was the first day of level 4 restrictions.
“Many residents of the Western Cape, like the rest of the country, took the opportunity to exercise in accordance with these new regulations promulgated by the national minister for cooperative government and traditional affairs.”
People walk along the Sea Point promenade in Cape Town during the closure of level 4. (Paul Herman / News24)
These regulations allow residents to exercise within a 5 km radius of their homes between 06:00 and 09:00.
“In many of the country’s high-density cities, compliance with these regulations for a certain time has resulted in high levels of congregation in public spaces.
“This is the unfortunate result of regulations that, I’m afraid, were not intended and unfortunately lack common sense.”
‘Forced congregation’
Winde said the scientific and medical reason for the blockade had been to limit meetings to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“By forcing residents to exercise only for a set period of time, we are forcing the congregation.
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“Furthermore, little attention was paid to the fact that sunrise is later in the Western Cape as we get closer to winter, thus providing an even shorter period of time for large numbers of people to exercise in accordance with the new regulations.
“We need a common sense approach in our response to Covid-19. Therefore, the Western Cape government will request the national minister to provide additional hours of exercise during daylight hours so that we can dramatically reduce the volumes of people who they exercise at any point. “
Winde said cardiovascular exercises were an important part of a healthy lifestyle and had a positive impact on lung health.
“We should encourage healthy lifestyle choices and allow Western Cape residents to take responsibility for themselves by practicing social distancing and wearing their masks while exercising.”
He also asked residents of the province to do everything possible to avoid any meetings.
“You should stay away from others. You should exercise alone. You should wear a cloth mask and be sure to follow the golden hygiene rules at all times.
“If you are not feeling well, you should not leave your home at all. This is important. Please first call the provincial hotline at 021 928 4102 for advice on what to do next.”
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