Cape Town - Political parties in the Western Cape fear an explosion in new infections if level 4 lockdown is implemented because there is not enough stringent enforcement of the Disaster Management Act regulations.
National restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are expected to be eased, starting from Friday so that parts of the economy can reopen as the government introduced a five-level phased response announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last Thursday.
ANC deputy chief whip in the legislature and the party’s provincial spokesperson on education Khalid Sayed said the Western Cape, with the highest Covid-19 infection rate in the country, was not ready to move to level 4.
“It has the highest amount of fatalities and largest number of people on ventilators. We have seen high levels of defiance of lockdown regulations and measures and not enough enforcement,” Sayed said.
He added that the slightest relaxation might result in many people going out.
“We will see the proliferation of cigarettes which are easily shared among people in poor areas and poses a major threat to the respiratory system. We call on Premier Alan Winde to first get a grip on the situation before just relaxing the measures.”
Good Party secretary-general Brett Herron said he had delivered food donations and assisted people in various communities over the past five weeks. “On the Cape Flats, townships and informal settlements there is little prospect of home isolation and I have seen quite a lot of movement of people in the streets. This is understandable as car ownership is lower and poorer people walk,” Herron said.
He said he had seen substantial crowding at supermarkets in low-income areas, and lots of children playing in the streets.
“These structural barriers to fully complying with the isolation and social distancing will not change. They are the legacy of our spatial planning history and a failure to change that legacy. They are what places poorer communities at higher risk of infection,” Herron said.
He said moving to level 4 would increase the risk of infection if it was not properly managed. “But the move to reopening economic activity could also reduce some of the anxiety and non-compliance in poorer communities if people can start earning a living or getting their informal or small business operating again.”
Herron said the more people are able to get back to livelihoods the less they would rely on neighbours for food and assistance.
“Our province is the highest risk area in the country. We must manage the transition to level 4 with great caution and responsibility. Our duty is to get as many people back to work as safely as possible,” he said.
Premier Alan Winde said he was unable to comment on the new regulations as these have not been promulgated yet.
“The national government has yet to publish any regulations around the level 4 lockdown and we are unable to comment on this until then.”
But MEC for finance, economic opportunities and tourism David Maynier said: “We have supported the nationwide lockdown implemented by the national government However, the detrimental impact of this temporary closure of the economy on businesses, especially small businesses and the informal sector, as well as individual employees, has been huge. And so, the risk-adjusted strategy proposed by the government will begin to breathe new life into the economy."
@TheCapeArgus