Hotspot plan for Overberg rolled out

Writer: De Waal Steyn.

Since the Overberg was named as a hotspot by Pres Cyril Ramaphosa in May, the Overberg District Municipality (ODM) has rolled out a district-wide hotspot plan, in addition to the Coronavirus intervention plan that was launched in March.

According to Reinard Geldenhuys, head of Disaster Management of the ODM, the objectives of the plan are to slow the spread of the virus, limit morbidity, protect vulnerable communities and increase economic activities.

“We need to prepare ourselves as the numbers of positive cases continue to rise. There has been a sharp increase in Hermanus and Grabouw, while there is concern for Gansbaai and Villiersdorp, which are now also treated as hotspots by the District Joint Operations Centre (JOC),” said Geldenhuys. (See Page 7 for Covid-19 Dashboard)

An Overberg hotspot team has been established, with representatives from all the municipalities in the district, SAPS and the provincial government. The national government still needs to nominate a minister to the team that is headed by Solly Fourie, Provincial Head of Economic Development. The team provides strategic oversight and direction to the JOC and must give weekly feedback to cabinet on its progress.

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