Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde says it’s time that all COVID-19 restrictions in South Africa be scrapped.
WC Premier calls on Government
In a digital press conference on Tuesday, 7 June, Western Cape Premiere, Alan Winde, said it’s time that the South African Government remove all the COVID-19 restrictions imposed on the country.
These, of course, include the necessity for mask-wearing and restrictions on gatherings.
“In practice, this means that we need to allow congregations, convention centres, stadiums, and other economic hubs to operate at full capacity once again while we continue to safely navigate life. By doing away with these restrictions, we will enable businesses to operate at full capacity and grow,” Winde said.
“Last month, I sent a letter to President Ramaphosa calling for an urgent President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) so that we can table our latest data in support of the complete removal of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions. No meeting has since been called and my office once again sent a reminder to the Presidency yesterday. We have still not received a response to the substance of this request,” he continued.
According to Travel News, Winde also said that these calls were only made because there has been enough evidence to support the fact that COVID-19’s impact on the South African healthcare system within the Western Cape showed significant change for the better. This evidence included:
- The number of daily new cases decreasing since last week to 458 new diagnoses per day.
- The PCR proportion of positive tests had also decreased to approximately 24%.
- New admissions had decreased to 45 admissions per day and showed signs of decline. There was also clear data supporting the decoupling of infections and hospitalisations.
- Absolute numbers of deaths have decreased and remain relatively low.
- The reproduction number, or ‘R’ number, continues to decline and is currently at approximately 0.55 for the province overall.
The Government is yet to respond to these requests.
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