The Acting Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Tshonono Buyeye, has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s move to declare the Metro a COVID-19 hotspot area.
Government has banned public drinking, extended the curfew and placed restrictions on gatherings in the hotspot region due to an increase in coronavirus infections.
Buyeye says provincial authorities had requested for the curfew to be from 10pm to 4am.
“We felt that if we move the curfew and give enough time for people so that if you are seen to be outside at 12 o’clock and you can’t explain yourself as an essential worker or for any other reason, then the law enforcement can come in.”
“It was our submission and we are happy that the President has pronounced on it. Something had to be done around the social gatherings, the alcohol issues and we should be seeing positive results with numbers starting to decrease,” adds Buyeye.
President Ramaphosa addresses the nation on Thursday:
As the Western Cape and Eastern Cape experience surges in infections, the government has activated its Coronavirus Resurgence Plan which was developed with the World Health Organisation to prevent a devastating second wave of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has expressed cautious optimism over stricter measures introduced to slow the spread of the coronavirus, saying people must still exercise caution over the festive season.
SAMRC Vice President for Research is Jeffrey Mphahlele says: “The restrictions are enough but nothing is enough to control the virus completely. We are still a couple of months away from getting the vaccine. We don’t have a vaccine registered in the country, even if SA has expressed interest. No country has got the vaccine yet. So we are still a couple of months away from getting one, but the process has started.”
President Ramaphosa announced that the rest of the country will remain on Alert Level-One.
He has extended the national State of Disaster to 15 January.
