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If the scientists have their way, this will not be allowed on the beaches this holiday season.
In a big blow to KwaZulu-Natal tour operators who were relying on the festive season to revive businesses hit by Covid-19 restrictions, experts have advised the provincial government to close all beaches for the entire holiday period.
The beaches are the main attraction for the more than one million tourists who flock to the province during the festive season each year. However, sources within the KZN provincial government said The witness On Tuesday, the Covid-19 provincial command council, led by Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala, had been warned not to allow members of the public onto the province’s beaches.
“They were told that allowing people to flock to the beaches could lead to large-scale infections.
“Scientists said that it will be impossible to enforce Covid-19 regulations as crowds on the beach would be difficult to control,” the source said.
“If the government doesn’t do that, there is a risk that several operators will close down, particularly those in the accommodation business.”
Emma Jacobs, spokesperson for the KZN National Accommodation Association
While Zikalala is due to announce provincial regulations for the Covid-19 holiday season on Friday, Community Safety MEC Bheki Ntuli has hinted that the province’s beaches would be no-go areas.
For years, the holiday season has been a major financial boost for the province’s hotel industry, injecting more than R1 billion into the sector last year alone. Despite an increase in Covid-19 infections in recent weeks, tour operators, many of them on the verge of sinking due to the pandemic, had been pressuring the provincial government to keep the beaches open.
“If the government doesn’t do that, there is a risk that various operators will shut down, particularly those in the accommodation business,” said Emma Jacobs, spokeswoman for the KZN National Accommodation Association.
While the provincial cabinet has already resolved to ban major events during the holiday season, tour operators hoped that at least visits to the beaches would be allowed.
“While one is sympathetic to business, opening the beaches goes against most of the critical measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus. There will be no social distancing at all. “
Health expert professor Mosa Moshabela
The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) said closing the beaches would be irrational.
“By closing the beaches, you are eliminating an outdoor environment that visitors could safely enjoy and leading them indoors to places that may not be as well ventilated.
“If the government is concerned about overcrowding on busy days like Christmas and New Years, this needs to be specifically handled without banning visits to the beach entirely during the holiday season,” said Fedhasa East Coast President Brett Tungay.
The provincial government, which has a responsibility to protect citizens against Covid-19, also has an obligation to strike a balance between saving lives and saving livelihoods.
However, the Covid-19 experts who spoke with The witness In the minutes, he said it would be risky for the government to keep the beaches open.
READ | Swimming is still prohibited on the beaches of KZN
“While one is sympathetic to business, opening the beaches goes against most of the critical measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus. There will be no social distancing at all, ”said one of KZN’s leading health experts, Professor Mosa Moshabela.
Moshabela, who heads the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) School of Public Health and Nursing, said police would not be able to enforce Covid-19 security measures if the public were allowed to visit the beaches.
“History has shown that the crowds on the beach are uncontrollable.
“The only way to avoid a potential health catastrophe would be to close the beaches for the entire holiday season,” he said.
Companies that have been lobbying the provincial government had assured government leaders that the Covid-19 security measures would be fully implemented in restaurants, bars, and other active businesses during the holiday period.
READ ALSO | KZN Premier warns against holding super spreader events
However, Moshabela said such promises were not easy to keep.
“You just have to look at what happened at Rage’s end-of-year festivities, they became super spreaders.
“The reality is that in most cases companies cannot control the situation,” he said.
Zikalala said last night that the provincial government has not yet made any decision to close the beaches, but that it will not ignore the advice of concerned scientists.
