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Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde disagrees with the closure of beaches on the Garden Route, which includes resort towns such as George, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. (Photo: Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Adrian de Kock)
The 18 days of the adjusted Level 3 lockdown are key to protecting the Western Cape’s healthcare system and workers, Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde said as he and several senior officials spent Tuesday discussing the latest lockdown regulations. during two virtual briefings.
Winde said the province had a “hectic week” of meetings before a virtual session of the Western Cape legislature on Tuesday, December 29, as he and officials unpacked the second wave of Covid-19 infections in the province.
The departmental head of the Premier’s Department Dr. Harry Malila, Dr. Nomafrench Mbombo of the MEC of Health and Dr. Keith Cloete, the departmental head, joined Winde on the Ad Hoc Committee of the legislature on Covid-19.
The latest figures from the provincial government on Tuesday afternoon showed 199,353 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the province, 6,512 confirmed related deaths, 37,355 confirmed active cases and 3,131 hospitalizations.
Winde said the province “welcomed” the new 18-day restrictions announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa, but did not agree to the closure of public spaces such as parks and beaches.
On Monday, December 28, during a speech to the nation, Ramaphosa announced an immediate ban on the sale of alcohol, as well as the closure of public spaces in hotspots.
Read on Daily Maverick: It’s level 3 again, no alcohol and no beaches at the hotspots.
Winde said this ban on parks and beaches runs counter to her belief in “outdoor spaces,” which present less danger than confined, unventilated spaces.
Additionally, Ramaphosa added the West Coast District, Overberg District, Winelands District, Cape Town, and Central Karoo District to the list of districts in the Western Cape that are now declared Covid-19 hotspots. This means that the entire Western Cape is now a Covid-19 hotspot.
Addressing the committee, Winde said the provincial government had come out of a “hectic week” with engagements with the national Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize, religious organizations, businesses and the agricultural sector, specifically in relation to the movement of seasonal workers.
He said it took eight months to reach 4,000 deaths, but within two weeks, the number of deaths had increased by another 1,000.
In updating the committee, Cloete said that during the peak of the first wave of Covid-19, the province experienced almost 50 deaths per day, but now, the daily death rate in the province is up to 100 deaths related to Covid-19 per day. Cloete said that within the Cape metropolitan region, the northern, southern, eastern and western sub-districts saw an increase in cases at a rate 3 times that of the first wave.
In the Tygerberg region, the increase in Covid-19 cases was 1.5 times higher than in the first wave, while the Khayelitsha cases had not increased relative to the first wave. Cloete said the impact of infections and deaths on healthcare workers was “devastating.”
The next committee meeting is scheduled for January 12-13, date and time to be confirmed.
‘Obviously, Covid-19 is not over’
Winde was joined by Mbombo and Cloete at their weekly press conference.
“Obviously, Covid-19 is not over,” Winde said, adding that he welcomed restrictions to protect frontline healthcare workers, but reiterated that he did not support a ban on outdoor spaces such as beaches and parks. .
Mbombo said the two weeks were meant to “… protect our healthcare system, protect our healthcare workers,” as the 18 days of adjusted Alert Level 3 regulations would provide the space for workers to plan for 2021.
In providing the health update, Cloete said that new cases on the Garden Route were declining, but everywhere in the province, cases were increasing. Some of the Oudtshoorn and Riversdale regions of the Garden Route are still seeing increases, seeing an increase in cases later than areas such as George, Knysna, and Plettenberg Bay.
Cloete said the health department had asked the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) for help. He said this would be because of bed capacity, staff capacity and law enforcement capabilities. DM
