Closing SA beaches over Christmas ‘would be illogical’, NCCC warned

For those of us looking to soak up the summer sun during the Christmas holidays, you may soon be left bitterly disappointed. It’s reported that the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) are considering closing down some of the country’s biggest beaches throughout the rest of December, in order to battle the second wave of COVID-19.

NCCC discussing ‘tougher lockdown restrictions’ for Christmas

Officials in KZN confirmed that discussions had taken place last week, regarding the spread of new infections and how crowding on the local beaches may cause another ‘super-spreader event’. The province has seen infection rates soar in the past few weeks, as two local post-matric parties were blamed for sparking an explosion in new cases.

Despite the concerns amongst the scientific and political community, Manny de Freitas is making the exact opposite argument. The shadow minister for tourism contends that beaches must be kept open – as they have the potential to ‘reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission’. The NCCC is expected to make a decision on the matter this week.

Manny de Freitas statement on beaches ‘possibly closing’

“The government, through recommendations made by the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), is considering the possibility of closing some beaches over the festive season. Doing this at a time of the year when most people flock to beaches will bury the tourism, travel and accommodation sectors near these facilities.”

“Cabinet should rather ensure that open-air areas, such as beaches, are kept open and that health protocols are followed. Science shows that the spread of the virus is dramatically reduced in outdoor environments, such as beaches. But we’ve seen over the whole lockdown period that the NCCC makes illogical political decisions that destroy jobs.”

“The reality is that if holidaymakers are prevented from going to beaches, they will congregate in areas such as shopping centres instead – exactly places where large crowds should not be congregating. The public must be encouraged to socialise outdoors, and not indoors, where the virus can spread much easier.”

,Manny de Freitas