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By Siboniso Mngadi 
2h ago
Durban: “You close the beaches, you close the business.”
This is the warning from the hotel industry, as an announcement is expected today on whether the beaches will close during the holiday season to curb the second wave of the coronavirus.
As the Christmas fever gathered momentum, people were already flocking to the beaches.
The province has banned all the massive events that were planned for the holiday season in the wake of the Covid-19 resurgence.
Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala launched Operation Vala on Friday, a multidisciplinary law enforcement deployment to toughen measures across the province, including beaches and public spaces.
Zikalala said the decision on the beaches could be announced today.
“We have not ruled out closing the beaches, but we are exploring other restrictions that could be implemented. Maybe closing at a particular time could also work or we can choose to just ban swimming, that is also part of our internal discussions, “said Zikalala.
If the beaches are closed, it would be the final nail in the coffin of the tourism industry still reeling from closure, said Peter Rose, president of Umhlanga Tourism.
Rose said the beaches were a draw to all coastal cities and without them revelers would be forced to cancel their reservations.
“We understand the need to save lives, but there must be a balance.
“We’ve run out of reservations during the hard shutdown, things were starting to get better with 70% of our accommodation already booked,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by Brett Tungay, KZN president for the Feder
ated Hospitality Association of SA, which called for control measures instead of closure.
Tungay said the tourism industry lost between 40% and 60% of its revenue as a result of the closure, adding that the closure of a beach would be utter devastation.
“Outdoor gatherings are encouraged, so if the beaches are closed, people will gather in restaurants and closed places that are more risky.
“We need to find a balance between our health and our economy,” Tungay said.
But Zikalala called for calm within the hotel industry.
“We are not going to prevent tourists from entering hotels. People may be allowed to walk on the beaches, but that’s still up for discussion.
“We are also considering whether we should impose strict measures on holidays such as the 16th, 25th, 26th and the 1st,” added Zikalala.
Ravi Pillay, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, said that he met with the economic council that agreed that closing the beaches would be counterproductive to the economic recovery plan.
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