{"id":457492,"date":"2020-12-16T14:58:27","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T12:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=457492"},"modified":"2020-12-16T14:58:27","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T12:58:27","slug":"cele-sends-beach-closure-warning-to-cape-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/trending\/457492\/cele-sends-beach-closure-warning-to-cape-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Cele sends beach closure warning to Cape Town"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Police Minister Bheki Cele has warned that beaches in the Western Cape could be shut if citizens to not adhere to the new restrictions enforced by president Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday evening.<\/p>\n<p>In areas with the highest rate of infection, beaches and public parks will be closed for the duration of the festive season from 16 December 2020 to 3 January 2021.<\/p>\n<p>This will apply to all of the Eastern Cape, as well as the Garden Route district in the Western Cape.<\/p>\n<p>In KwaZulu-Natal, beaches and public parks will be closed on what are traditionally the busiest days of the season.<\/p>\n<p>These days are the 16th, 25th, 26th and 31st of December 2020 and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of January 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The beaches and public parks of the Northern Cape and the Western Cape \u2013 with the exception of the Garden Route \u2013 will remain open to the public over the festive season.<\/p>\n<p>The president warned that festivals, live music, and live performances at beaches are prohibited.<\/p>\n<p>Beaches and parks that are open to the public will only be open between 09h00 and 18h00.<\/p>\n<p>Minister Cele inspected a number of Cape Town beaches on Wednesday (15 December) to monitor compliance by locals and holiday makers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What I have seen, is on the okay side. People are keeping their social distance, they are keeping their masks (on).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He said that he didn&#8217;t want to see preparations taking place for formal events, noting that the regulations are clear around gatherings, music and the consumption of alcohol in these aras.<\/p>\n<p>The minister stressed that national regulations supersedes any local regulations, while noting that he had witnessed instances of non-compliance.<\/p>\n<p>He said that if there is &#8216;trouble from the very beginning&#8217;, he will insist that the Western Cape enforce the same rules as those implemented by other provinces around beach closures.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Newzroom Afrika&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Nasiphi_Same?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Nasiphi_Same<\/a> is at Camps Bay Beach, where Police Minister Bheki Cele is patrolling Cape Town beaches monitoring adherence to regulations.<\/p>\n<p>WATCH: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Z6JjbcgihK\">https:\/\/t.co\/Z6JjbcgihK<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Newzroom405?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Newzroom405<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pK8G6AYNtU\">pic.twitter.com\/pK8G6AYNtU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Newzroom405\/status\/1339160866088955904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 16, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Government on Monday announced tighter level 1 lockdown restrictions nationwide as the country enters the festive season amid a second wave of rising Covid-19 infections.<\/p>\n<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the restrictions on Monday evening, as the country\u2019s cumulative number of cases trends towards 900,000 infections.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#COVID19<\/a> Statistics in SA as at 15 December.<\/p>\n<p>Use the COVID Alert SA app to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community. Start using this privacy preserving app today. Add your phone to the fight! Download the Covid Alert SA app now! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8YKEqaiiRF\">https:\/\/t.co\/8YKEqaiiRF<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/d23rsbkSSC\">pic.twitter.com\/d23rsbkSSC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrZweliMkhize\/status\/1338938346953973773?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 15, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In light of the rapid rise in infections, the president said it is essential that government take extraordinary measures to contain the second wave and save lives, while working to protect livelihoods.<\/p>\n<p>New Covid-19 cases spiked with the daily average of new cases nationally over the last seven days at 74% higher than the previous seven days.<\/p>\n<p>In this time, the number of new cases has increased from a daily average of around 3,800 to just over 6,600 a day.<\/p>\n<p>The daily average of Covid-19 deaths has increased by nearly 50% over the same period from just over 100 deaths a day to just over 150 deaths.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tighter enforcement of hygiene protocols<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Under the tighter level 1 restrictions, drivers and operators of any form of public transport must ensure that all passengers wear a mask.<\/p>\n<p>Managers or owners of buildings, places or premises \u2013 including retail stores, shopping centres, and government buildings \u2013 are obliged by law to ensure that all customers who enter their facilities or buildings wear a mask.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis places a responsibility on all owners, managers and employers \u2013 and on all of us \u2013 to ensure that South Africans are safe whenever they are in any of these places,\u201d said the President.<\/p>\n<p>Responsible individuals who do not ensure compliance with the regulations by their passengers, customers or employees will be liable to a fine or to imprisonment of up to six months.<\/p>\n<p>To reduce the risk of super-spreading events, government has limited the current restrictions on the size of gatherings.<\/p>\n<p>Under the new restrictions, gatherings \u2013 including religious gatherings \u2013 may not be attended by more than 100 people for indoor events and 250 for outdoor events.<\/p>\n<p>The total number of people in a venue may not exceed more than 50% of the capacity of the venue.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the potential for transmission, all post-funeral gatherings, including \u2018after-tears\u2019 parties, are prohibited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe situation will be monitored daily by local authorities to ensure compliance with the regulations on gatherings and the prohibition of alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn instances, where there are large crowds or poor compliance with safety measures, specific beaches and recreational parks will be closed,\u201d the president said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Curfew<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To reduce super-spreader events, the curfew is adjusted, starting at 23h00 and ending at 04h00.<\/p>\n<p>Non-essential establishments, including restaurants and bars, will have to close at 22h00 so that staff and patrons can get home before the enforcement of the curfew.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe curfew is meant to prevent gatherings that go on late into the night, while enabling restaurants, bars and taverns to continue to operate and earn an income.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hours of curfew will also apply to Christmas Eve and New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis means that we will all need to make changes to the way in which we celebrate these occasions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Restriction on alcohol sales<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The sale of alcohol from retail outlets will only be permitted between 10am and 6pm from Monday to Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Registered wineries and wine farms may continue to offer tastings and wine sales to the public for off-site consumption over weekends.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis exception is being made due to the vital contribution of these establishments to the tourism sector in several parts of the country,\u201d said the president.<\/p>\n<p>Alcohol consumption in all public spaces, such as beaches and parks, is strictly forbidden.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sarah Baartmaan and Garden Route districts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In further tightening control on areas with a sharp rise in infections, the president declared the Sarah Baartmaan and Garden Route Districts as \u2018hotspot areas\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis all means that the same additional restrictions that we applied to Nelson Mandela Bay will apply in these districts from midnight tonight and will continue until we see a clear and sustained decline in infections,\u201d said the President.<\/p>\n<p>These festive season restrictions will be reviewed in early January based on the state of the pandemic across the country.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/finance\/457468\/south-africas-85-month-downward-cycle-could-linger-with-new-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">South Africa\u2019s 85-month downward cycle could linger with new rules<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Police Minister Bheki Cele has warned that beaches in the Western Cape could be shut if citizens to not adhere to the new restrictions enforced by president Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday evening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":404769,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-457492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending","tag-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457492"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":457500,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457492\/revisions\/457500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/404769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}