INITIATION SEASON GETS GREEN LIGHT
TRADITIONAL leaders have had the government overturn its decision to suspend the summer initiation season as President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday gave the green light, with the exclusion of Nelson Mandela Bay, declared a Covid-19 hotspot.
In his address last night, Ramaphosa said following extensive consultation with traditional leaders, they had agreed that the summer initiation season in the Eastern Cape may go ahead.
“This is because traditional leaders in the Eastern Cape have submitted a risk-adjusted plan that has been approved by Departments of Health and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.”
The government has over the years battled with controlling the deaths of initiates in illegal schools.
But Ramaphosa said: “This plan includes strict adherence to health protocols, including screening of initiates, the provision of personal protective equipment and the provision of water for hygiene and to prevent dehydration.”
No initiation schools will be allowed in Nelson Mandela Bay due to the high rates of infection in the metro.
In the first week of November, the country was recording an average of 1 500 new cases a day. By the last week of November, this had almost doubled to an average of around 2 900 new cases a day.
Yesterday, South Africa recorded over 4 400 new infections, the largest daily increase in infections since the middle of August, Ramaphosa said.
Three areas of the country account for most of these new infections – Nelson Mandela Bay and the Sarah Baartman District in the Eastern Cape and the Garden Route District in the Western Cape.
“There are a number of reasons for the rise in transmission. Many people are travelling between provinces and within each province in higher numbers, especially with the festive season approaching.
“In the case of the Garden Route, this also applies to the movement of seasonal workers who work in one province and live in another province,” Ramaphosa said.
Social, cultural and religious gatherings are being held in large numbers, he added.
“Following a recommendation of the National Coronavirus Command Council and after consultation with premiers, metro mayors and traditional leaders, the Cabinet has decided to declare the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality a coronavirus hot spot.
In addition to the existing alert level 1 regulations, a number of additional restrictions applied in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro with effect from midnight last night.
The hours of the curfew are from 10pm and 4am, the sale of alcohol from retail outlets is permitted between 10am and 6pm from Monday to Thursday and all post-funeral gatherings are prohibited, among other steps. Gatherings – including religious gatherings – may not be attended by more than 100 people for indoor events and 250 for outdoor events.
At all times, the total number of people in a venue may not exceed more than 50% of the capacity of the venue.
“In the coming days the Minister of Health will be visiting the Sarah Baartman District and the Garden Route to assess the situation and to engage with various stakeholders in the province.
“Based on this assessment and the development of the disease in these areas, the National Coronavirus Command Council will determine the appropriate course of action,” Ramaphosa said.
“The summer season is traditionally a time for social gatherings. These social gatherings can be ‘super-spreader’ events that carry a huge risk of transmission of the virus. Each of us needs to ensure we take precautions to avoid spreading the virus to our families, especially our elders,” Ramaphosa said.
In a digicon, Premier Alan Winde said yesterday that the provincial government was firmly against another lockdown.
“Lockdowns are blunt instruments that have disastrous consequences and should be avoided at all costs. That is why our plan is based on targeted, local, evidenced-based interventions to get the pandemic under control.
And why ultimately you, the people of the Western Cape, are the most important intervention we have,” said Winde.
The number of active cases in the Western Cape increased from 7 793 on November 26 to 10 442 on December 2.
He said the health response will include increased surveillance of Covid-19 outbreaks, through testing of cases in hot-spot areas, contacttracing, daily huddles to understand reasons for spread, and expert analysis of data and trends.
Obtaining sufficient personal protective equipment to protect all front-line staff and ensuring the mental well-being of health-care workers is another health response.
Among others, Winde said, they would also use technology to track Covid-19 infections in high-risk individuals.