Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says the lifting of restrictions on all international travel into South Africa will play a major role in saving the tourism sector in the province.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday announced that the “red list” of high-risk countries will be scrapped and international travel to all countries will resume. This is subject to the necessary health protocols and the presentation of a negative coronavirus certificate.
Winde says the lifting of restrictions on travel will also help save jobs. He was speaking online, during his weekly media conference.
“I really do welcome the announcement that some further regulatory changes will be made to the disaster act, in favour of the economy. That’s really good news and specifically those related to tourism. It’s something that we’ve been calling for, for a month and a half now already. No need to have a red list. In actual fact, if you’ve got protocols in place, we can welcome you from wherever you come from.”
As restrictions on international travel are lifted, it is more important than ever for travellers to follow all safety protocols to protect their health and minimise the risk of acquiring COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/mv3M9L7uQb
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) November 11, 2020
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on government’s COVID-19 response:
Ramaphosa warned South Africans against what he describes as ‘coronavirus fatigue’, saying the virus is still present.
Ramaphosa says the difficult truth is that the virus is far from over.
South Africa has recorded a total of 742 394 COVID-19 cases, with the death toll standing at 20 011. The country has, however, recorded a 92% recovery rate.
The President says the pandemic is worsening across the globe.
“The world has just recorded its highest number of weekly new cases since the start of the pandemic and the highest number of weekly deaths. More than 51 million people have been infected globally, and at least 1.2 million people have died. Many countries are in the midst of a second wave of infections, which has often been more severe than the first.”
Social distancing, hand hygiene and the use of masks remain our key weapons against #COVID19. By following these simple guidelines, we can prevent a second wave of infections and the need for tighter restrictions on our daily lives. pic.twitter.com/NcfjiLb24J
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) November 11, 2020
Ramaphosa says South Africa has endured the worst of the COVID-19 storm. Infections have declined from 12 000 to 2 000 daily new cases.
“At the height of the pandemic, in July, we were recording around 12 000 new infections a day. For more than two months now, the number of new infections has remained relatively stable at below 2 000 a day. The number of deaths has been declining steadily, as has the number of people requiring hospitalisation. The total number of new hospital admissions has declined for the 14th consecutive week.”
The President paid homage to hospital workers, community workers and other frontline workers. He commended their courage in the fight against COVID-19.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the nation on COVID-19 response:
