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By Mwangi Ghathu 
11h ago
Cape Town – Prime Minister Alan Winde has said the Western Cape government will study a system of consequences for not wearing masks and that this was one of the things he asked President Cyril Ramaphosa during Wednesday’s Presidential Coordinating Council meeting. (PCC).
During his regular digital press conference on Thursday, Winde said: “In the next few days, we will definitely improve the law enforcement side.”
Winde said: “I have asked the president that we have to see the consequences of not wearing their masks. What are those consequences? Well, we will definitely see if we can be much stronger. “
“While we shouldn’t have to spend all of our time watching our way out of this, we will make sure the police are there and visible in places where people are not following the golden rules. In cases like that, we will definitely have to be very hard on you, ”Winde said.
“There have been extensive reports in the media in the last 24 hours about possible plans by the National Government to reintroduce restrictions on alcohol and advance the curfew. The Government of the Western Cape would not support such interventions. It would be a double whammy for our struggling hotel sector, which employs tens of thousands of people in this province. “
“Instead, we need to work with these establishments to ensure compliance and, when not, make sure there is proper enforcement with real consequences.”
“However, I think the current requirement that allows 250 people to gather indoors is very high, given that we know that Covid-19 spreads more easily in confined and crowded spaces with little ventilation. Any limitation on the number of people that can gather indoors must be based on extensive scientific evidence and advice to ensure it will have an impact. “
“Frankly, the power is in the hands of the citizens. Let’s work together to ensure that over the next 30 days we will flatten this curve, ”said Winde.
Earlier, Winde used Wednesday’s Presidential Coordination Council (PCC) meeting to argue against the imposition of a blockade in the province and in favor of specific local interventions based on scientific evidence.
Winde said: “The discussion on Wednesday morning was about the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape, and about measures to reduce the spread of this virus.”
“The Western Cape has seen a Covid-19 resurgence in recent weeks, and the increase in cases needs to be carefully monitored and managed. However, the Western Cape does not support the imposition of a blockade on the province, ”Winde said.
“We believe that local, targeted, science-based and common-sense interventions will not only help flatten the infection curve, but will also protect businesses and the economy from the negative impact of a lockdown.”
“We expect further announcements from the president on possible interventions at the national level and in terms of the Disaster Management Law.”
Even as Winde spoke, there was criticism from the provincial opposition leader, Cameron Dugmore (ANC), who said: “From the beginning, the DA leadership tried to undermine the national blockade. They called for the ban on alcohol and cigarettes to be lifted. They even spread mixed messages about wearing masks. “
“It is ironic that the provincial government is now talking about its own blockade. It is the clearest admission that they were wrong. As ANC, we must consider serious interventions in critical areas. We do not support a blanket lockdown, ”Dugmore said.
Good Party MPL Brett Herron said: “If science and health professionals recommend that we need localized restrictions to reduce transmission in the community, then we have no choice but to follow that advice.”
“It is unfortunate that the Prosecutor’s Office and the provincial government have spent the last seven months criticizing, challenging the various closure rules that were implemented throughout our country. They have undermined the urgency and seriousness of the restrictions implemented by Covid’s National Command Council by constantly arguing that they were largely unnecessary, ”Herron said.
Cape Argus
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