8 APRIL 2020
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All hands on deck to fight virus Writer De Waal Steyn
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estern Cape Premier, Alan Winde has called on the national government to take a “common-sense approach” to the rules and regulations during the lockdown period. This follows a lot of debate online about how regulations, especially relating to what you can buy at the shops, are being interpreted. The issues at hand have been complex for decision-makers, as “evidence-based” statements made confidently one day, turned out to be less clear or even incorrect the next. As news portal Daily Maverick stated: “This is not due to poor decision-making, but reflects the rapid influx of new and changing information. What usually takes years, is happening in days. Some of the sweeping interventions implemented in South Africa seemed unthinkable just weeks before. Closing borders, restricting movement, closing schools and businesses and physical distancing have all been instituted based on expert opinion, learning from other countries, or rapidly-developed scientific models. “The COVID-19 pandemic has caught the world and South Africa off guard. What started out as a seemingly mild disease in a distant land has become a formidable threat to our country’s health system, our economy, our society and indeed, every South African. As the pandemic has exponentially changed gears, opinions and evidence about the disease and how to control it have shifted too,” according to the report. Winde said he wants to clearly state that “all of us have one clear objective in mind – and one only: to stop the spread of COVID-19, and to collec-
tively help save lives. We know that the regulations were created for this reason. And any clarifications or updates to them – which, considering how quickly we moved into lockdown is entirely normal – need to be done with that ultimate aim in mind.”
PHOTO: Taylum Meyer
According to Winde, when he participated in the first virtual meeting of the Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) on Saturday, 4 April, he used the opportunity to request a common-sense approach that would allow, for example, equipment needed for e-learning for students to be procured during the lockdown. Ensuring that learning continues for our children is a top priority of the Western Cape Government. “There are many more issues and we have officially sent a list of those that require clarification to Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and we are looking forward to further discussions to provide the clarity so many residents are requesting. “I also used the opportunity to raise concerns regarding incidents of police brutality. These incidents must be condemned, and we urge all those with complaints to please report these to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) as soon as possible,” he said. Co-chaired by Deputy President
A tired Warrant Officer Tshazibana about to finish his 12-hour shift in Hermanus on Sunday. Overstrand Municipality’s Traffic Department, Law Enforcement and other private security companies have been patrolling the Overstrand 24 hours a day to make sure that people are adhering to the lockdown regulations. According to Tshazibana, residents’ compliance with the rules has improved since the start of the lockdown.
David Mabuza, the PPC is composed of ministers, premiers of all provinces and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). On Saturday the PCC received a report from the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) covering, amongst other issues, adherence to the national lockdown regulations, ongoing contact tracing, accommodation requirements, including identified quarantine sites, and the roll-out of the mass community testing programme. To date, 5 400 field workers have been trained and have already been deployed to various areas across the country, whilst thousands more
are still to undergo training. Priority districts and 993 wards have been identified, composed of the most vulnerable and at-risk communities, as well as areas with high rates of infection. Provinces are working with the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) to identify testing sites which will include both fixed and mobile test facilities. “Through the COVID-19 Data Management Centre, government is receiving early warning of potential clusters of infections and thus deploying pre-emptive targeted testing in identified areas. It further receives daily estimates on infections, assesses local healthcare capacity and the effi-
cacy of the lockdown,” the presidency said in a statement. “The PCC further considered the security of supply of essential medical supplies, including regulations that have been established to restrict exports of essential medical goods. Government is ramping up efforts to build up local manufacturing capacity and assessing the capacity of State-Owned Entities to produce essential supplies.” Municipalities also stand ready to assist and, if necessary, hand over some of their facilities for isolation and quarantine purposes. Continues on P2
