Cape Town – Western Cape Premier Alan Winde believes you cannot only rely on the opinion of medical experts when addressing the Covid-19 crisis, insisting you have to also acknowledge what other experts are saying about the "second disaster, the humanitarian disaster".
Winde said this in response to a question if the country and the province – the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country – was ready to move to level 3 during a visit to the temporary hospital at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), which will open on June 8. He posted his reply on Twitter on Tuesday.
There has been concern over the Western Cape moving to level 3 while the number of deaths from the virus in the province rose to 318 yesterday. The Western Cape has 7 439 active cases of Covid-19, with a total of 14 978 confirmed cases, and 554 people are in hospital, of which 139 are in ICU or high care.
However, in calling for a balanced approach, Winde said there are patients with other serious medical issues who should not be ignored amid the focus on Covid-19.
Having served as the Economic Development and Tourism MEC before becoming premier, Winde highlighted the "opposite side of the virus" – the 200 000 jobs lost during the Covid-19 crisis and 27 000 small businesses "not being there" anymore.
"So just as you rely on those specialists to say have we got sufficient beds, you also rely on those specialists who are giving us reports on the economic annihilation of our economic system…
"So there is a disaster declared to deal with what is coming at us called Covid-19, but there's a second disaster and that is a humanitarian disaster.
"So you have to listen and say what is the balance. Definitely, opening up the economy gives us the other side of the balance.
"It's the same thing, you rely on the medical specialists to say this is what you have got to spend money on and this is what you have to put in place. So you must rely on the other specialists.
"Even those medical specialists say we can't only focus on Covid-19; we've got TB patients, we've got heart disease patients and we have patients who don't have Covid and they also need to be looked after.
"You have to find the balance inbetween, so definitely level 3 is where we need to be going."
The temporary hospital at the CTICC will have 862 beds. It will treat patients with milder Covid-19 signs, with around 800 healthcare workers enlisted.
The exhibition halls have been divided into different sections (see picture below) with dry walling. Electricity is supplied to each hospital bed, with a supply of oxygen available to many beds.
Other parts of the ICC have been converted into toilet and shower areas as well as other support functions.
Picture: Armand Hough / African News Agency (ANA)