Durban - A survey has revealed that more people living in the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) municipality agree with the Cabinet's decision to impose harsher restrictions on the municipality.
Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that NMB would have the restrictions imposed due to a spike in Covid-19 cases, hinting at a possible second wave of the virus that has claimed 22 432 lives in South Africa.
In a survey of NMB residents by leading fintech company, CompariSure, it was revealed that almost 80% of respondents said that they agreed that upping restrictions was the right move under the circumstances.
Comparisure CFO, Matt Kloos, said interestingly though, 70% indicated that they felt a lack of support from the government.
Kloos said that almost 42% of people who earn an income said they would be financially impacted by the increased restrictions.
"This financial strain could be a significant factor in terms of the perceptions around a lack of government support," he said.
He noted that worryingly – as cases continue to climb – the survey also found that many people will be travelling outside of NMB.
"Almost 30% of NMB residents said they will be travelling out of the restricted area over the December/January period. This is concerning as, despite being in favour of the added regulations to curb the COVID-19 spread, people are still not willing to forgo their annual trip," Kloos said.
He said he hoped that this sentiment was not a precursor for what will happen in other hotspots if restrictions are increased again.
"Overall NMB support of government efforts to reduce a second wave is encouraging – especially since there was a concern around ‘corona-fatigue’ in terms of adhering to regulations," he said.
He added that 2020 has been a tough year and many people are relying on the year-end travel as a way to reconnect with family and recharge mentally.
"If strict social distancing and hygiene measures are followed when people take their annual trips, we may be able to avoid a national second wave while still stimulating our hard hit economy, especially from a local tourism perspective," Kloos said.
IOL