Mixed signals not helping the situation Ramaphosa

Tourism is hurting and mixed signals will definitely not help matters.

The last thing we need during a time of uncertainty and anxiety is more confusion. People aren’t in good spaces. The lockdown has crippled the economy, many lives have been lost and the fear of testing positive for Covid-19 is a battle playing out every day.

We don’t seem to learn from the past. Any big announcement usually starts with President Cyril Ramaphosa addressing the nation late at night, enforcing or lifting restrictions in a bid to control the pandemic, and then leaving it to his ministers to talk on the finer points.

While that’s been the aim, it most certainly hasn’t played out. Just look at the u-turn on the sale of tobacco products, or the puzzling decisions on what could and couldn’t be sold when it came to certain clothing items.

With this in mind, this weekend’s about-turn on leisurely travel within the confines of one province is as clear as mud. After initially releasing information suggesting leisurely travel within the confines of a single province and non-business-related stays at hotels, guest houses and lodges was permitted under the current lockdown level, the presidency later said it was not the case. Tourism is hurting. Mixed signals will definitely not help matters.

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