HOLIDAYMAKERS and tourists planning to spend time on Beaches in Durban and other areas of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) heaved a sigh of relief on Friday, 11 December when the fears that beaches in the province would be closed proved unfounded.
The anticipation of this move, which was put to rest moments ago by Premier of KZN, Sihle Zikalala, resulted in many stories spreading on the morning of Friday, 11 December, which claimed that the beaches had already been closed.
Second wave
The province has been reeling with a dramatic increase in new daily infections thought to be connected to a Rage party held in Ballito for learners who completed their last year of school.
Both Health Minister Zweli Mkhize and the KZN Premier, Sihle Zikalala, identified the party as a so-called ‘super-spreader event’.
ALSO READ: Matric rage gatherings identified as super-spreader events: Department of Health
An impassioned plea for responsible social behaviour by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize as we battle a resurgence of #Covid19. pic.twitter.com/Xb5AU9FIDS
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) December 9, 2020
ALSO READ: KZN Premier warns against holding super-spreader events
Festive plan
Zikalala today (11 December) was expected to outline KZN’s Festive Safety Plan, at a planned media briefing, to halt the rapid spread at Covid-19 cases in the province.
While he stopped short of guaranteeing that beaches might not still be closed, he did say for now there were no concrete plans to do so.
On Thursday the premier visited various tourism spots where many people congregate during the festive season, including Florida Road, to assess both the city’s and businesses’ readiness for the forthcoming festive season, which is usually a major income generator in the city and province.
Four provinces are showing major increases in positive #COVID19 cases: Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. We are now in a #SecondWave pic.twitter.com/XRqIGCfFq1
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) December 10, 2020
Earlier this week Zikalala, responding to a news report in which Bheki Ntuli, MEC for Transport was quoted as calling for the closure of beaches to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, said no decision had been made.
This is a developing story.
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