Government must speed up removal of state of disaster – Liquor Traders

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment to lift the national state of disaster as soon as public comment on the draft health regulations are finalised should not just be talk, but it must be followed by action.

That’s according to the National Liquor Traders who want to see the state of disaster and lockdown regulations removed urgently.

The organisation was reacting to Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on Thursday evening on developments in South Africa’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Amid growing calls for the state of disaster to be scrapped, Ramaphosa said government intended to lift the state of disaster after receiving public comment on the new National Health Act regulations to manage the pandemic outside of the Disaster Management Act.

Government called on citizens to make comments on the draft regulations before 16 April.

‘Running the country by decree’

The National Liquor Traders, which bore the brunt of restrictions on alcohol sales during the pandemic, welcomed the announcement by Ramaphosa on government’s commitment to remove the state of disaster.

But the organisation’s spokesperson Lucky Ntimane said government needed to move with speed to lift the state of disaster.

“As we have always maintained that such an approach had outlived its usefulness and only sought to concentrate power on the president who was treading the thin line of dictatorship and running the country by decree with no checks and balances provided for in a parliamentary system, which the state of disaster by design sought to circumvent.

“The removal of the state of disaster must not just be a talk, it must be followed by action and urgently,” Ntimane said in a statement.

Ntimane commended liquor traders and the alcohol industry at large for having played an important role in the fight against Covid-19 by encouraging their patrons to vaccinate and to ensure that their establishments remained safe zones.

“We further acknowledge that since the easing of restrictions there haven’t been any spike in the number of cases reported that could be linked to alcohol.

“This further cements our strong held belief that alcohol plays no role in impacting the number of Covid-19 infections and as such, government should desist from basing any strategy of fighting Covid-19 with seeking to impose restrictions on alcohol.”

PCR test requirement

At the same time, Business Unity South Africa (Busa) also welcomed the easing of Covid restrictions announced by Ramaphosa, especially the lifting of requirements for a PCR test for incoming visitors and returning South Africans provided proof of a valid vaccination is provided.

Busa CEO Cas Coovadia said this would be a significant boost to tourism and would also make it easier for vaccinated South Africans to travel.

“We welcome the regulations allowing 50% of capacity for outdoor events, which will enable sports events to start, but with proof of vaccination or negative test,” Coovadia said in a statement.

He said Ramaphosa’s address brought the country good news, but the address also emphasised the imperative of not letting our guards down in the fight against the pandemic.

“We are not out of the pandemic yet! We must continue to, and increase our efforts to, encourage everybody to vaccinate! The science is unequivocal that vaccinated people have a substantially reduced risk to infection and infecting others.

“It is also evident that unvaccinated people are at greater risk to getting very ill if infected and being hospitalised.”

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

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