Level 5 fears: Western Cape will oppose ‘blunt’ lockdown measures
Things are getting a little tetchy across South Africa. It was announced on Wednesday that the country finds itself in the grip of a second wave of coronavirus, with four provinces accounting for 94% of all active cases. As well as KZN, Gauteng, and the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape is seeing infections soar – and talk of a ‘Level 5-style lockdown‘ is rife.
COVID-19 cases in the Western Cape
However, such measures would not be supported by Alan Winde. The Western Cape Premier made it very clear this week that lockdowns like the one experienced during Level 5 restrictions are a ‘blunt tool that must be avoided’. Winde also explained the challenges facing his province, after some daunting COVID-19 figures were made public.
- The proportion of tests coming back positive continues to rise and is now above 30%. It was 40% during the first wave
- Oxygen usage at our hospitals also continues to increase.
- New COVID-19 cases in the last 7 days have grown by 53.4% when compared to the previous seven days.
- Hospitalisations have increased sharply since mid-November, reaching 1 615 yesterday.
- The number of health workers being infected by Covid-19 is also increasing, currently at 312 active cases.
Level 5 loading? Not on Alan Winde’s watch…
Premier Winde issued a statement on Thursday, pleading with the national government to resist the temptation of a hard lockdown should the infection rates continue to rise. Rather than face a Level 5 scenario, the DA representative is a firm believer that localised restrictions are the best way forward:
“The Western Cape remains opposed to lockdowns. They are a blunt tool that must be avoided at all costs. It would be devastating for our economy and cause our humanitarian crisis to worsen. Instead, we need more of the localised interventions to slow the spread which are common sense and evidence-based.”
“As South Africa enters its second wave, we urge the national government to avoid blunt tools and to do everything possible to get the balance right between saving lives and livelihoods. There must be a reconsideration of the number of people being permitted to gather in hotspots, especially indoors, given that the virus spreads at gatherings.”
Alan Winde
10. This has been a difficult year for many of us and we are all very tired of Covid-19. I am too.
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) December 10, 2020
But we all now need to give one big push so that we roll back this ‘second wave’ and start 2021 stronger, with our healthcare system and economy open and working.
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