Cape Town - A meeting will be held today with informal traders and formal business operators in Gatesville, near Athlone, to discuss the City’s plan to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infections as the festive season nears.
The meeting comes after a letter had been sent last week, notifying them that the area had been identified as a Covid-19 hot spot.
However, ward councillor Aslam Cassiem said the letter, issued by the City’s Urban Management Area and Economic Development directorate, addressed to business owners, was out of context and that the area was not a Covid-19 hot spot. He said that the letter had been misleading and would have been applicable months before.
“In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the City, with the provincial and national health departments, has been mobilising resources to limit the impact,” read the letter.
“Gatesville has been identified as one of the hot spots for Covid-19, and an intervention plan to mitigate the risk posed in Klipfontein Road between Hazel and Mavis roads has been developed and approved.”
The letter then went on to request a meeting with the receiver, scheduled for today. The meeting with businesses and informal traders on the bustling Hazel and Mavis roads is also to ensure that Covid-19 precautionary measures are in place and adhered to.
“We will together decide on implementing a strategy for upholding and adhering to Covid-19 regulations,” said Cassiem. “We will look at the options that all stakeholders provide, and then decide.”
Mayco member for Urban Management, Grant Twigg, said that as an economic hub Gatesville usually attracted many people, especially over the festive season. “Based on this, the City’s Urban Management Directorate has arranged stakeholder engagements with businesses and informal traders in the area to discuss a proposed proactive, short-term Covid-19 risk reduction action trading plan to be implemented during this period.”
He said the plan aimed to assist businesses and their customers in continuing to trade safely while adhering to Covid-19 protocols. The proposal includes temporarily relocating some informal traders along the lower Klipfontein Road between Mavis and Hazel roads to a nearby parking area that would support Covid-19 protocols.
He said those affected had been notified by the City.
Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Zahid Badroodien, said Covid-19 infections in the Cape Town metro had been stable over the past two months. However, localised clusters had been identified and rigorous case and contact tracing was being conducted.
The Western Cape recorded 3 103 active cases of Covid-19 infections, 116 871 confirmed cases and 109 385 recoveries made as of yesterday. The death toll is 4 383. A total of 683 507 Covid-19 tests have been conducted. At present, 581 people have been hospitalised with 110 patients in high care or ICU. There are 2 185 confirmed cases unallocated.
Cape Argus