[ad_1]
The DA argues that the negative effects on the economy caused by beach closures will be much greater than the positive effects on the pandemic.
Image: Facebook page of the Democratic Alliance in Gauteng.
CAPE TOWN – The Democratic Alliance (DA) is hopeful that in the coming days a ruling will be handed down on a challenge to the beach ban.
The party challenged the decision to close the Garden Route beaches in Western Cape Superior Court on Monday.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the shutdown as one of the intensified measures to address the spread of COVID-19.
The DA argues that the negative effects on the economy caused by beach closures will be much greater than the positive effects on the pandemic.
Theresa Emerick of the online lodging reservation system provider NightsBridge, who conducted the survey, said: “We surveyed 629 of our customers in the Garden Route area and asked if they had any cancellations or postponements.”
She said the losses were staggering for these companies that relied on tourism during busy periods like the holiday season for an economic boost.
“About 2.5% of those customers lost all their reservations. What was really disturbing was that more than a third of those customers lost more than half of their bookings and we also looked at the advance bookings for January and February, so the whole season takes a hit. “
Emerick said the beach closures were the last nail in the coffin.
“Cancellations started coming in early December when there were signs that there were hot spots and that the government was concerned about hot spots.”
She said Knysna, Mossel Bay and Sedgefield were among the worst hit areas.
At the same time, in the Eastern Cape, the Kouga Municipality is also unhappy with the decision to close the beaches for the holidays and filed an urgent court request on Monday for the decision to be overturned.
Download the EWN app on your iOS or Android device.
[ad_2]
