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Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde says Level 1 restrictions are sufficient to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the province, but a risk-adjusted strategy should be used in hotspot areas.
In a digital briefing on Thursday (December 3), Winde said that while current regulations allow indoor gatherings of up to 250 people, this should be changed to restrictions based on square footage.
The Western Cape provincial government does not plan to introduce new lockdown restrictions, but will instead adopt a five-element strategy to contain the virus, including:
- Change community behavior to prevent infection, including strong public messages;
- Surveillance and response to outbreaks through daily meetings;
- Expansion of the health platform for Covid capacity, including local contingency plans;
- Maintain comprehensive (health) services and plan to carefully scale back services to accommodate Covid-19 capacity;
- Safeguard and protect the well-being of healthcare workers.
Winde said the provincial focus remains on behavior change, but there will be more law enforcement during December to make sure the rules are followed.
“Let’s make sure that during the next 30 days we flatten this curve, we all know what to do. Let’s not spend all of our time watching our way out of this, but we will make sure the police enforce the rules. “
The prime minister said he has also spoken with President Cyril Ramaphosa about introducing harsher punishments for not following existing rules, particularly the wearing of masks in public places.
As of December 2, the Western Cape has 10,442 active Covid-19 cases, with a total of 132,642 confirmed cases and 117,501 recoveries.
National announcement
While Winde has made it clear that the Western Cape does not want to introduce a lockdown due to the damage it could do to the local economy, his hand could ultimately be forced at the national level.
President Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation on national government interventions to combat the surge in coronavirus cases seen in South Africa.
The president is expected to announce a series of new measures in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, which have seen an increase in cases in recent weeks.
Ramaphosa spokesman Tyrone Seale said the presidency has not officially confirmed a national address and that announcements are generally only made when the president is ready to speak.
Sources that were part of the government’s National Coronavirus Command Council meeting this week indicate that the country’s coronavirus hot spots could face the following additional restrictions:
- The introduction of a curfew at 10pm, with restaurants closed at 9pm;
- Prohibition of alcohol consumption in public areas;
- Assembly restriction: funerals and religious services will be limited to 100 people indoors and 250 people outdoors;
- The formwork of open public spaces, which may include beaches.
It is not yet clear when these reported restrictions will go into effect.
Read: New restrictions on alcohol in South Africa will devastate parts of the economy
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