The stricter Covid-19 regulations announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa have been welcomed by some, but have disappointed others.
The restaurant industry, which has been badly affected by the lockdowns, is set to take another knock. Nash Rajbunsi, owner of Carlitos at the Montford Shopping Centre is upset at the latest restrictions, saying it will have a negative impact on eateries. Restaurants are only permitted to sell food for take-away or delivery. “ The restaurant industry took a huge knock last year and we still have not recovered from it yet. With a level 4 lockdown in place now, nobody wants to go out and buy food in fear of contracting the virus. We have seen our sales go down and are preparing for it to decrease even more now since people cannot physically come to dine. We are trying as hard as possible to also secure the livelihoods of our employees but we are unfortunately forced to cut down hours to keep in accordance with the new restrictions for this 14-day period,” he said.
On the other end of the spectrum, the early closure of schools has largely been welcomed. Secretary of the SGB Association of KZN, Kishore Hambapersad said bringing the winter holiday forward was a wise move. “We fully support the President s decision to bring the winter holidays forward by closing within the week. We need schools to be closed so that we do not lose an entire generation of learners at the cost of their education, hence, by bringing the holidays forward, there will not be much time lost. This closure is needed so that educators and support staff can be vaccinated by the time learners return to school, it is ultimately in the best interest of learners. We also feel that the Department of Education has been unfair towards School Governing Body members by not shortlisting us during this vaccine roll-out as we are also on school premises,” he said.
South Africa has moved to adjusted alert level 4 from 28 June to 11 July, with restrictions designed to allow economic activity to continue, while containing the spread of the virus. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the move on Sunday and promised to assess the situation after 14 days. This comes after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a third wave of the Coronavirus is underway on the continent whilst South Africa experiences a massive resurgence of infections. Ramaphosa said that the Delta variant which spread like wildfire in India has been detected in five provinces, namely the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape.
He said: “The Delta variant is rapidly displacing the Beta variant, which has been dominant in South Africa until now. It is more transmissible than previously circulating viruses, meaning it is easier to catch through person-to-person contact. It is thought to be twice as contagious as the Beta variant. You can pass it on without even knowing you have it. People previously infected with the Beta variant do not have full protection against the Delta variant, and may get re-infected. The peak of this third wave looks set to be higher than the previous two. We don t know how long this will last. Religious, political, cultural and social gatherings (indoors or outdoors) are prohibited, funerals and cremations are permitted, not exceeding 50 people, night vigils, after-funeral gatherings and after-tears gatherings are prohibited, public spaces, such as beaches and parks, remain open, but no gatherings are allowed, curfew is from 9pm to 4am. Non-essential establishments to close by 8pm, the sale of alcohol (on-site and off-site consumption) is prohibited, travel in and out of Gauteng for leisure purposes prohibited except for work, business or commercial travel, transit through airports or transport of goods. If you are currently not in your place of residence, you will be allowed to return home to or from Gauteng, visits to old age homes, care facilities and congregant settings is restricted.” Ramaphosa urged everyone to register for their vaccines. He said that the scientific evidence shows that vaccines work, they are safe, effective, and save lives. “There is evidence that the vaccines in use in South Africa are effective against the Delta variant. Some vaccinated people may still become infected, with mild symptoms because no vaccine is 100% effective,” said Ramaphosa.
In the meantime police have urged residents to report non-compliance and contraventions of lockdown regulations. The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has expressed his concern that a large number of citizens in the province who have been arrested on a daily basis for not conforming with the adjusted alert level 3 lockdown regulations despite pleas from government and the health sector for compliance. “Since the announcement of the latest level 3 lockdown regulations, we have stepped up our daily operations focused on ensuring that all the citizens in the province comply with the regulations to stem the spread of the Covid-19 virus. In light of the President s announcement last night that the country has moved to an adjusted alert level 4 lockdown, we are once again urging citizens to comply with the regulations as law enforcement officers continue to work around the clock with all other government departments to protect communities from being exposed to the Covid-19 virus,” he said.
KZN Police spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker, said co-ordinated multi-disciplinary operations are being conducted simultaneously across the province focusing on hotspot areas and those areas where reports of non-compliance are received. “Because of operations carried out from 16 June until 27 June, 1 763 individuals were arrested for various contraventions of the level 3 lockdown regulations in the province. Police arrested 1 025 persons in various public spaces for not wearing a mask. During this period, 592 people were arrested for failing to confine to their residence during the curfew while 137 were arrested for selling or consuming liquor in a public space, which is in contravention of the regulations,” said Brigadier Naicker. Police are appealing to anyone with information with regards to contraventions of the adjusted alert level 4 lockdown regulations to contact Crime Stop on 08600-10111 or to report contraventions anonymously via the MySAPS app.
