Cape Town - Western Cape Premier Alan Winde on Thursday explained how all the departments will be implementing the newly announced three-pronged approach to curbing the Covid-19 resurgence.
Speaking during his regular digital news conference on Thursday, Winde announced the provincial government’s three-pronged-approach to roll-back the Covid-19 resurgence.
The approach includes continuing the Western Cape’s current health response to ensure that every person gets care when they need it, working with individuals, communities and businesses to change their behaviour to adopt protective measures, and lastly, increasing the enforcement of existing level 1 regulations.
The premier explained how the various departments will work together to prevent new infections of Covid-19:
- The Department of Transport and Public Works (T&PW) will, through its festive season road safety campaign, assist with awareness and enforcement of Covid-19 regulations, especially for long-distance transport during December.
- The Western Cape has created a dedicated USSD code to report non-compliance on public transport, and a campaign to boost awareness of this number during the month of December will take place.
- T&PW will also continue to make available safe and comfortable quarantine and isolation facilities for those residents who are unable to safely isolate at home.
- The Western Cape’s Department of Social Development is working closely with both funded and unfunded old-age homes around introducing stricter protocols.
- The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) already has extensive Covid-19 protocols in place for schools across the province, including for the exams taking place right now, and these protocols will continue to be strictly adhered to.
- The WCED has also asked principals to communicate to staff and pupils the consequences of irresponsible and unnecessary behaviour in the context of Covid-19, and to encourage them to avoid crowds and non-essential gatherings.
- The WCED will further communicate with schools regarding safe and responsible behaviour during the holiday period. Winde said they understand many Grade 12 pupils understandably wish to celebrate the end of their exams.
- The provincial Department of Agriculture will work with stakeholders in the agricultural economy to ensure that Covid-19 protocols are adhered to on farms and in rural communities and will undertake oversight visits to oversee compliance.
- The Department of Economic Development and Tourism (Dedat) has a dedicated complaints line for businesses that are not adhering to protocols.
- Winde said that Dedat will also undertake regular engagements with sectors of the economy where risk of spread is highest to ensure compliance with protocols, as was done with the retail sector ahead of Black Friday.
- The provincial Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport will work together with the museums, libraries, sporting federations and cultural organisations under its jurisdiction.
- The Western Cape Liquor Authority, of which the Department of Community Safety is the main custodian, will continue enforcement investigations in areas including Covid-19 hot spots and work with SAPS to take appropriate action against establishments breaking the law.
- The Community Safety department is working with its neighbourhood watches and Chrysalis Academy graduates, who are deployed within Covid-19 hot spots to promote positive behavioural changes.
- The Community Safety department has also received R20 million towards the implementation of the safety ambassador programme. Winde said that the new recruits would not only operate in schools and municipalities, they would also work in their communities.
Winde said: “All of these interventions will be done in line with our zero-tolerance approach to corruption, and our provincial treasury will continue to publish monthly Procurement Disclosure Reports so every cent can be accounted for.
“The Western Cape believes in localised, targeted approaches to outbreaks and that adopting province or country wide measures for a problem in one geographic would have many negative consequences for South Africa’s recovery.
“The power is in your hands and on your face. Take action now, wear your mask, avoid the 3Cs and help save lives and livelihood,” he said.
Cape Argus