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Poverty and hunger. (Photo: thesouthafrican.com/Wikipedia)
Lack of food is a major factor for non-compliance with Covid-19 lockdown regulations as Nelson Mandela Bay enters a tighter lockdown.
First published in the weekly Daily Maverick 168.
The partial ban on the sale of alcohol, an earlier curfew, and restrictions on public and religious gatherings announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday night when Nelson Mandela Bay was declared a Covid-19 hotspot have been widely well. greeted by community leaders, but all said that unless the government faced extreme hunger, the stricter blockade would also fail.
In the city, people are breaking quarantine and isolation to go to work, as that is their only means of survival, and community leaders said Friday that Ramaphosa must address the problem of extreme hunger in the city if he is to deal with it. with the outbreak of coronavirus infections.
As of Friday, December 4, Nelson Mandela Bay has been declared a coronavirus hotspot and additional restrictions have been placed on the city in terms of the national state of disaster.
The current number of active cases in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro is 3,852 and 1,763 people have died in the metro since the first outbreak in March. The current mortality rate is 145 per 100,000 and the fatality rate is 3.9%. The new number of cases has dropped to between 300 and 400, but concerns have been raised that this could be due to long delays in the testing laboratory.
The restrictions include that the sale of alcohol on Fridays and on weekends would be prohibited; No alcohol consumption would be allowed on site in licensed facilities after 10pm and no alcohol consumption would be allowed on beaches and parks. Meetings, including religious gatherings, cannot be attended by more than 100 people for indoor events and 250 for outdoor events. At all times, the number of people in a place cannot exceed 50% of the capacity of the place.
Community leader Julia Mbambo of Walmer Township, one of the subway’s access points, said hunger was a major threat to compliance in her area and that people will not remain isolated.
“No provision has been made to help people who must remain isolated,” he said. “Many people have lost their jobs. Many were unemployed to begin with. People are very, very hungry, ”he said. “Children don’t stay inside, they go looking for food. They will stay around until we feed them… People are forced to isolate themselves, but they don’t even have soap in the house, ”he said. “They must work every day, otherwise … they will starve,” he said.
“It’s scary because people in their areas complain when they see people leaving the house before their 10 days of isolation are over. You see them come out of their yards. There are so many sick people here, we have run out of food packages to give to those who test positive. We used to drop it on their doors. “
Health worker Winky Mngqibisa said they would often see close contacts of people who tested positive for the coronavirus leave the house to go to work.
“The lack of food in our communities is a very big problem,” he said, “it is a question of survival.”
“Compliance in our communities has not really improved. The government will have to get tough and watch this. We see that the police are up and down the streets, but last week two people were shot in a shebeen in New Brighton after midnight curfew and that shebeen is still open, ”he said.
Municipal spokeswoman Mamela Ndamase said the subway police would study the updated regulations regarding the sale of alcohol and the previous curfew.
Angry words were exchanged during the last city council meeting of the year after it emerged that the municipality’s customer service centers have been flooded in recent days because thousands of residents had their electricity meters blocked.
Councilors from across the political spectrum called for residents to be given a break to avoid long lines without social distancing and large gatherings at customer service centers. Council president Buyelwa Mafaya said the meter issue was of great concern.
ANC Councilor Rosie Daaminds added that the subway was a “national disgrace” and expressed serious concern that there were no items on the council’s agenda to address the resurgence of coronavirus infections in the subway. However, no decision was made because someone coughed and councilors demanded that the meeting be adjourned.
Community activist Gary van Niekerk said people were struggling to pay their fees because they couldn’t work during lockdown levels 5 and 4.
“The government understood then and gave us a window period. Now people cannot pay because they are still recovering. They are offering to pay the debt because they cannot pay the full amount. It’s a fair arrangement, ”he said.
Acting Executive Mayor Thsonono Buyeye said he welcomed the previous curfew. He said the president’s announcement about the sale of alcohol was welcome and he hoped this would ease the burden on public hospitals.
“We believe that the measures that are taken will ensure that we address this increase in a short space of time,” he said. “Before long we should see the numbers decrease and we believe that by the time Christmas rolls around, some of the regulations may have already been relaxed.
The president of the subway chamber of business, Andrew Muir, said the large number of infected people was putting great pressure on the workforce in the city.
Prime Minister Oscar Mabuyane also welcomed the president’s announcement. The provincial command council met on Friday to discuss speedy implementation of the decisions that were announced, Mabuyane said.
Eastern Cape Liquor Board spokesperson Mgwebi Msiya said they would continue their operations to ensure compliance, but have received reports from tavern owners that patrons would simply refuse to wear masks, maintain social distance and sanitize. her hands.
“Sadly, I must admit that we haven’t really seen a dramatic improvement,” he said. “Even last week we found overcrowded liquor stores and people who weren’t wearing masks. People drank outside.
He said they were still studying the amended regulations to see if restaurants would be included in the partial ban on the sale of alcohol.
The president of the subway chamber of business, Andrew Muir, said the large number of infected people was putting great pressure on the workforce in the city.
“The health crisis cannot be ignored. As a chamber of business, we have been extremely involved in trying to tackle the health crisis … We will have to be strong in dealing with compliance with Covid regulations, otherwise we will only prolong the economic downturn, ”he said. “But whatever we do, it will come at a cost,” he added.
“The upcoming holiday season… we’re concerned… It’s the superspreader events that are the real challenge… I think that’s what the regulations are really targeting.
“We have tried to attract residents many, many times … Now the president and the national government must intervene
Van Niekerk, who is a community leader in the northern areas of Port Elizabeth, said things were really “getting out of hand.”
“There is little respect for lockdown regulations in our area. In certain cases, people have no other choice. Those who live on grants do not queue to go to clothing stores, they queue to receive the grant or for Home Affairs. So before criticizing, we must look at where those queues are. It is for their survival. You can’t tell them to drop the money. They need the money to survive. They must choose between starving or taking the risk. Obviously, they take risks, ”he said.
Reacting to the new limits on religious gatherings, Pastor Neville Goldman said that when it comes to the essence of life, it was wise to do so.
“The churches are not closed. It’s just the buildings. Some congregations have stayed in line, but in impoverished areas this is difficult to do. The religious leaders of this city are needed to deal with the mental trauma caused by this outbreak. I myself buried eight people this week alone. I have to lead the memorial service for the children who died from Covid-19. Now is the time for the church to be wise. This is an integrated pandemic. Hunger, drought and unemployment stalk our streets, ”he said. DM168
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