THE Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry is concerned about the rising Covid-19 cases in eThekwini.
Palesa Phili, Durban Chamber CEO, said following the easing of restrictions in level 1, the Chamber was greatly relieved to have businesses and schools reopening.
Unfortunately, recent data indicates that eThekwini has not managed to entirely avoid the anticipated second wave of Coronavirus infections that was predicted by experts.
ALSO READ: New contractor, same old rubbish for Musgrave
“Some have even voiced concerns that the rise in cases could lead to another hard lockdown, especially if citizens are not vigilant and if people and businesses do not adhere to Covid-19 protocols set out by government. As organised business, we do not believe that a return to the hard lockdown scenario could even be a consideration, given the self-evident devastation that the first one wreaked on the economy, bringing many businesses to a complete halt and seeing huge revenue losses with some of the hardest hit sectors being the tourism, construction and SMME sectors,” she said.
Phili said there is no doubt that the hard lockdown spared the country massive loss of life, however, that is not an intervention the South African economy can afford again.
ALSO READ: Happy ending to theft story
“Another hard lockdown will translate into deeper losses for the economy and make the road to recovery for businesses practically impossible. It is critical that we all work to balance the preservation of lives and livelihoods, and whilst we do not have the ultimate solution, as the Durban Chamber we believe that continued cooperation between the public and private sectors is key to regaining control of the infection numbers,” she said.
Phili urged citizens, both corporate and social, to continue to adhere to safety protocols in order to defeat Covid-19.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple
