Tuesday 22 December 2020, Day 93 of Level 1, Day 272 of Lockdown đˇ
Corona Gratitude đ
#Grateful for a most beautiful day at close to 30C, with very little wind this afternoon even though the mountains were shrouded in clouds; for an early trip to the Waterfront, where Brian Van Hansen took some pics after heâd finished playing the piano for breakfast at The Table Bay Hotel, which I needed for my Tour Guiding Operator in Canada; for Brian accompanying me in running through the Waterfront, doing last minute shopping and chores before Christmas; for the Waterfront having a Covid Marshall, addressing people not wearing their masks; for getting my car wheel pressure indicator reset, still not being able to do it after 5 years, Hennie Kriel having spoilt me at Audi; for spoiling myself with a Dairy Den ice cream; for a walk through a reasonably busy Camps Bay; for a special call with Barbara Lenhard, not having spoken since she and Florian returned to Germany 8 months ago, and hoping to fly to Cape Town tomorrow evening; for having dinner at Utopia with Vivian Warby this evening; and for being happy and healthy. đđ Continue reading →
A long list of 60 countries has been red-listed for non-Business Leisure Tourism to South Africa as of tomorrow, a list that the Government will update fortnightly, it was announced by International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor this afternoon. Â Sadly for our Tourism industry, Tourists from our larger source markets, namely the UK, USA, France, Holland, India, Portugal, and Switzerland will not be allowed to enter our country currently. Good news for me personally is that Tourists from Germany will be allowed to visit South Africa. All visitors from African countries are welcome to visit South Africa, as are those from Asia, and from Australia and New Zealand.
I was fortunate to receive a copy of the gazetted Lockdown Level 2 regulations prior to the presentation by Minister Dlamini-Zuma at a Media Livestream just after lunch time today.
As a writer following the Covid-19 pandemic and its rampant disastrous effect on Tourism and the Restaurant industries, I have been surprised to read an increasing number of articles predicting the opening up of our country to international tourism by September 2020, in a month that is Tourism Month, and traditionally the beginning of the South African summer and therefore Tourist season. Â The articles stem from a media release by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, and appears confident in its prediction, based on its lobbying with Government, an interaction which was scheduled for yesterday 9 June. No outcome of this interaction has been seen yet. Earlier predictions were that the country would only reopen to international tourists in February 2021.Â