The Western Cape will argue against a lockdown being imposed on the province and in favour of targeted, local interventions based on scientific evidence, Premier Alan Winde said in a statement.
Meanwhile, all planned events in the Western Cape's Garden Route region have been banned until further notice as COVID-19 infections surge.
Local government, environmental affairs and development planning minister Anton Bredell said on Tuesday: “The Garden Route is seeing increases in Covid-19 infections. In addition, there is an expectation of large numbers of visitors over the next few weeks which further increases the risk. This requires drastic action — which we are not afraid to take.”
Some measures implemented include the closure of all sports facilities and public venues in the George and Kannaland municipalities, including town halls.
The statement reads:
I have been informed that the National Covid-19 Command Council (NCCC) has met today to discuss the resurgence being experienced in some provinces, including the Western Cape. This will be followed by a Presidential Coordinating Council meeting tomorrow morning, where the President engages and consults with the nine Premiers.
As I have announced before, the Western Cape Government and local governments in the province are considering their own localised interventions and restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19 in line with our own respective powers, and we will be setting out our response plan at my weekly digitial press conference on Thursday.
While we are considering our own interventions, the Western Cape Government does intend to engage the President on our position on existing regulations during this meeting tomorrow. This is because all regulations under the Disaster Management Act are promulgated by the National Government and not Provincial Governments.
During this consultation, the Western Cape will strongly argue against any blunt instrument, like a lockdown, being imposed on the province.
We must first do everything possible, through our individual and collective action to ensure the resurgence is rolled-back and to prevent this tool from ever having to be used again.
A lockdown would be disastrous for our economy, will cause major job losses, and indeed a humanitarian disaster, and must be prevented at all costs.
If we all wear a mask, follow the golden rules, and avoid the 3Cs (crowded places, confined spaces and close contact), we can make a major dent in this resurgence. This should be our top priority across all spheres of government.