In an address to the nation, after a 19 day absence, President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked the nation for its role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. He indicated that ‘most of the country’ is likely to move to Level 3 by the end of May. However, a regional approach may be implemented, which may mean that areas with higher infections and lesser health facilities may remain at Level 4, without mentioning which these would be. The President made a pledge to respect the rights of the people of our country, and that the Government will make amends in where it has disappointed the nation and made mistakes.
The response of the nation was one of great disappointment. Shakespeare’s ‘Much ado about nothing’ comes to mind. Repeated information was shared from his previous speeches, and no certainty was given as to when what will change. The Western Cape citizens are particularly angry, being certain that our province will remain at Level 4, even though this has not been confirmed. Much rests in the hands of our Premier Alan Winde, who has just gone into self-quarantine due to contact with a COVID-19 patient. He was due to have met with President Ramaphosa tomorrow (15 May 2020) Continue reading →
The South African Tourism industry is preparing itself for the reopening of our country’s provincial as well as international borders, although the prognosis of when this might be is not certain or confirmed. BusinessTech yesterday quoted South African Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona as predicting that Level 1, which returns the country to its normal operation, is only likely in the first Quarter of 2021, although nothing is certain yet, he added.
While a few restaurants already announced their closure at the beginning of March, when the COVID-19 Virus Lockdown had not yet been announced, a flood of restaurant closures is expected when restaurants are allowed to reopen to the public in Level 1 again, at an unannounced date in the future.