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CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – AUGUST 21: Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde speaks during a closing ceremony of the Hospital of Hope field hospital on August 21, 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. It is reported that Hospital de la Esperanza began admitting patients on June 8 and stopped operating on August 18 due to the decrease in cases in the metro in particular, the expiration of the contract to use CTICC in September and the low number of admissions to field hospitals. (Photo by Gallo Images / Die Burger / Jaco Marais)
The provincial government urges caution during the festive holidays and suggests a review of the end-of-year functions amid rising infections.
Coronavirus cases have nearly doubled in the past week in the Western Cape, Prime Minister Alan Winde said at a news conference on Wednesday. In the week through November 24, 4,543 cases of Covid-19 were reported, he said, compared to the week ending November 17, when there were 2,987 cases, an increase of 52.1%.
Winde said Garden Route and Cape Metropole accounted for most of the revival. Covid-19 hospitalizations were increasing, he said. In September (when the province was coming off its peak), there were fewer than 500 infected people in the province’s hospitals. As of yesterday (November 24), there were 900 infected people in public and private hospitals.
Winde said the provincial government will soon meet with the national cabinet about the possibility of specific area closures and how it could work. He said the increases were “really concerning” as the new cases showed that Covid-19 established itself in communities.
The prime minister said that “all the people must be united”, since neither the health system of the province nor the economy could afford another blockade.
A holiday season overhaul was required, Winde said, especially with the end-of-the-year performances. “Sorry, they’ll have to cut back,” Winde said.
Winde, from the provincial MEC of Health Nomafrench Mbombo, urged that the golden rules of hygiene be observed: the use of masks, avoiding crowded spaces, washing hands and physical distancing.
“It is imperative that all citizens behave responsibly,” said provincial health chief Dr. Keith Cloete in his weekly update. Cloete said that the age distribution of people with Covid-19 was now 25 to 60 years, compared to October, when the youngest were hit hardest after the links to a bar in Claremont, in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. Cloete said that according to surveillance reports, shopping malls and funerals were transmission points of concern. In parts of the Cape metro, “crowds refused to obey law enforcement.”
At last week’s briefing, details emerged of an increase in cases along the Garden Route, including the cities of George, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. Cloete confirmed at the time that the region was going through a second wave of infections.
Warnings were issued and sports fields closed as Garden Route sees a spike in Covid-19 cases
Cloete said confirmed cases on the Garden Route were now officially higher than the cases reported in May, just before the province peaked in confirmed cases. There are now 178 confirmed cases in Knysna / Plettenberg Bay, George has 190 confirmed cases, and Mossel Bay has 57 confirmed cases.
Cloete warned that “hospitals are struggling” and that both the public and private sectors are now under pressure in George, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.
Warning of upcoming festivities during the holiday season, Winde said “citizens have to do their part” and prevent family gatherings from turning into super-divisional events.
Other measures to combat increases in Covid-19 in the province would include law enforcement to ensure that people comply with measures such as physical distancing and the use of masks, and ensure compliance with regulations on alcohol consumption.
Winde said the province could not afford a second wave or a second strict lockdown. “We owe it to the economy, we owe it to the people who lost their jobs.”
In a statement after the press conference, Winde said: “The city of Cape Town is following a similar trajectory to this region. [the Garden Route] and appears to be 10-14 days late. Therefore, we are also issuing a hotspot alert for the metro. It is important to highlight that the growth of cases in the city is being registered in all the sub-districts and is not being driven by any area ”. DM / MC
