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Western Cape Premier Alan Winds
- Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde says the Garden Route beach closure should be reconsidered as it will be a “devastating blow” to the region’s economy.
- Winde says this is especially because the beaches are outdoors, where there is good ventilation.
- The Western Cape will make further submissions to the national government as they do not believe the proper balance has been struck in this case.
Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde said the Garden Route beach closure should be reconsidered as it would be a “devastating blow” to the region’s economy.
On Tuesday, Winde welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s differentiated approach to new regulations in different metropolitan areas; however, he said the decision to close Garden Route beaches for the entire holiday season would be a devastating blow to the economy and should be reconsidered.
“My top priority in the many consultations with the national government has been to ensure that we strike the right balance between rolling back this resurgence and saving lives, while keeping the economy as open as possible, and also safeguarding livelihoods,” Winde said.
While I also welcome that a differentiated approach was taken for most of the beaches in the Western Cape, the decision to close the Garden Route beaches for the entire holiday season will deal a devastating blow to that district’s economy, which depends on much of tourism to survive. “
He said that during the consultations, they requested that the beaches in the Western Cape remain open, as long as appropriate steps can be taken to ensure that health and safety guidelines are followed so that those who attended can do so safely.
“This is especially because they are outdoors where there is good ventilation, precisely the places that we have been advising our residents to visit this holiday season,” Winde added.
On Monday, Ramaphosa announced that all beaches in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and those along the Garden Route would be closed during the holiday season on certain busy days.
READ | ‘Irrational’ to close beaches: opposition parties lash out at restrictions
Winde said their presentations included making an exception for tastings and sales at wine farms over the weekend, as this was critical to the survival of the wine tourism economy, which employed thousands of people in rural communities.
The Western Cape would make further submissions to the national government as they felt that the proper balance had not been struck in this case and that the intervention needed to be reconsidered.
“In the meantime, we all need to remember that the best defense we have against Covid-19, and the most effective tool we have to save lives and livelihoods, is our own behavior,” Winde said.
“If we all take action now and change the way we live for the rest of the holiday season, we can prevent many infections, protect our healthcare system, save lives and keep our economy open.”
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