Tshwane mayor calls for lifting of lockdown restrictions, including booze ban

Tshwane mayor Randall Williams has called on national government to review level 3 lockdown restrictions, including the ban on the sale of alcohol, as Covid-19 cases “significantly” decline in the capital city.

In a statement on Wednesday, Williams called on government to urgently review the lockdown restrictions to avoid “further harm” being caused to the country’s “crucial economic sectors”.

“There are reasonable approaches that can be implemented while we continue to monitor the spread of Covid-19 and manage the strain being placed on our hospitals,” Williams said, suggesting that the sale of alcohol for offsite consumption, limited from Monday to Thursday, should be permitted.

Williams also said that licensed establishments and restaurants should be permitted to sell alcohol to their patrons, also adding that the curfew should be eased.

“Continued restrictions on the sale of alcohol affects multiple stakeholders in a value chain that spans and affects thousands of jobs in this country.

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“This includes farmers, logistics companies, bottle manufacturers, the breweries, the alcohol retail sector, the restaurant and hospitality sector and various other stakeholders,” Williams said, urging that there was a need to find a balance between saving lives and livelihoods.

Williams said since his update last week, there was a “sustained decline in the number of Covid-19 cases” in Tshwane, “a week later” there was “a drastic decline in the number of active cases”.

“On 26 January 2021 there were 5922 active Covid-19 cases in the city. A week ago, on 19 January 2021, there were 13,399 active Covid-19 cases,” Williams said.

He added that the day-to-day increase in Covid-19 cases has maintained and downward trend, with significant progress made in the recovery rate.

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“While we will continue to monitor and track the situation in the City of Tshwane, however, we must now push towards ensuring  that we begin opening the economy,” Williams said.

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Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu