Cape Town Mayor calls on COVID-19 restrictions to be scrapped

Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis says he’s encouraged by a letter sent by Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla’s to the nine provinces’ Health MECs, expressing the view that the remaining Covid-19 regulations

The letter suggests the possible dropping of masks in public spaces, the lifting of the ban on gatherings, and the removal of restrictions on travellers entering the country.

Hill-Lewis will on Wednesday morning be part of a special President's Coordinating Council meeting to discuss the regulations. The Cape Town Mayor says it is time to move on from, what he describes as, irrational Covid-19 restrictions

‘’The country has clearly exited the fifth wave of infections. In addition to this, the rates of death and hospitalisation in the January and May waves were considerably lower than the previous ones, even though the majority of restrictions had already been dropped.’’

‘’Continuing to restrict South Africans’ freedom to decide for themselves whether to wear masks and restrict their attendance at large gatherings is not rationally related to saving lives, and thus unjustified,’’ added Hill-Lewis.

The remaining restrictions , says the Cape Town mayor, also disproportionately and unfairly affect certain groups in society, including young school children and ordinary, wage-earning workers.

‘’While patrons of restaurants are free to unmask to enjoy a meal in comfort, for example, waiting and kitchen staff are forced to be masked for up to twelve hours at a time. Children as young as seven years old are being forcibly subjected to the discomfort of all day masking, often while school management are comfortably maskless in schools’ administrative offices.’’

 

Done By: Mitchum George