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The Western Cape government will argue against imposing a blockade on the province and instead favor specific local interventions based on scientific evidence, says Prime Minister Alan Winde.
Winde said his provincial government is considering its own proposals outside of those that President Cyril Ramaphosa is discussing at a Presidential Coordinating Council on Wednesday (December 2).
“As I have announced before, the Western Cape government and local governments in the province are considering their own interventions and localized restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 in accordance with our respective powers, and we will establish our response plan at my conference. weekly digital press on Thursday, ”he said.
Winde said the Western Cape government intends to involve the president in its position on existing regulations. This is because all the regulations in the Disaster Management Law are promulgated by the national government and not by the provincial governments, he said.
“During this consultation, the Western Cape will firmly oppose any forceful instrument, such as a blockade, being imposed on the province.
“We must first do everything possible, through our individual and collective action, to ensure that the revival is reversed and to avoid this tool having to be used again.”
Winde said another lockdown would be disastrous for the economy, cause huge job losses, and should be avoided at all costs.
“If we all wear a mask, follow the golden rules and avoid the 3 Cs (crowded places, confined spaces and close contact) we can make a big dent in this resurgence. This should be our top priority in all spheres of government.
“Our position remains that we need common sense, targeted and localized interventions that ensure we protect our healthcare system and reduce the spread of Covid-19, while ensuring that the economy remains as open as possible. And these interventions must be based on the best scientific advice. “
Interventions
Winde said that one of those interventions that is needed is meetings, and especially those that take place indoors.
“Our surveillance teams have traced many cluster outbreaks to gatherings of people indoors, as the virus spreads faster in confined spaces when there is little ventilation,” he said.
“The number of people who are allowed to gather indoors, currently 250, is too high and this needs to be reconsidered for the specific hotspots where the virus is spreading the fastest.”
The prime minister said he would also communicate to the president that provincial governments should have more powers to implement interventions near specific geographic points so that they can “get the best possible results” in those areas.
“This localized approach will allow the specific challenges of each area to be taken into account and avoid blunt tools that have unintended consequences,” he said.
“All of these interventions must be supported by a drive for significant behavior change. We need more communication from all spheres of government about the security precautions that residents should take during the holiday season, and the national government should help the critical points in this regard.
The prime minister said that this must be accompanied by a more visible application in the critical points of the province.
“There are already many regulations that can be leveraged to respond at this time, but they must be applied urgently so that there are consequences for those who break the rules.
“The Western Cape Government is doing what it can, in turn, according to its own competencies, but full coordinated action will have a greater impact.”
Winde said that a big push for behavior change, with specific and common sense interventions linked to scientific advice, and increased application of those interventions, is the best way the province can strike the balance between keeping the economy open and slow the spread of Covid. -19.
The Western Cape government has reported an increase in Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations in the province, which can now be seen as an established resurgence.
A resurgence is when the number of active cases increases, week to week, by more than 20%. In the last week alone, the province has experienced an increase of 52.1% in new cases, with a pattern established over time.
Hospitalizations reached a low of less than 500 in September and have now surpassed 900 this week.
As of Tuesday (December 1), the Western Cape has 9,683 active cases of Covid-19, with a total of 131,269 confirmed cases and 116,915 recoveries. A total of 4,671 deaths have been reported in the province.
Read: Ramaphosa to meet on new closure restrictions for parts of South Africa – report
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