ETHEKWINI Mayor, Cllr Mxolisi Kaunda, warmly welcomes visitors to the city and appeals to residents to continue to be hospitable towards tourists, who without fail choose the city to be their home this time of the year.
He said the promenade is opened for jogging, cycling and walking. However, he urges everyone to unceasingly adhere to lockdown regulations that seek to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as the country has entered the second wave of the pandemic.
In response to the president’s address, Kaunda said the municipality has made significant operational changes to this year’s festive season plan and operations.
The amendments are as follows:
•A curfew, which entails that every person is confined to his/her residence daily from 11pm to 4am.
•Follow mandatory protocols including the wearing of a mask when in any public space or property, including on public transport.
•No consumption of liquor in public places (including beaches and parks), except in licensed on-site consumption premises.
•Closure of beaches in eThekwini will be enforced on 25, 26, 31 December and again on 1, 2, 3 January 2021. Residents can still enjoy other activities along the beach such as jogging on the sand, walking, running, yoga and other healthy lifestyle exercises. The park and ride facility which operates on the central Durban beachfront will be closed on these days as well.
•On all other days all beaches are open between 9am to 6pm. Lifeguards are onsite to monitor and ensure that there are no drownings on the beaches. The park and ride facility will adhere to these times.
•The curfew will be strictly enforced, and no persons are allowed to sleep overnight in public spaces in buses, taxis or cars.
•Loud music whether live or otherwise is prohibited.
“The non-compliance with the prohibitions, conditions, days of opening of beaches and wearing of face masks and social distancing measures, will result in the closure of those non-complying beaches throughout the festive season. Law enforcement does regular patrols to ensure that safety precautions are observed,” said Kaunda.
The mayor also implores hotels, restaurants and eateries in the townships to guard against prioritising maximising profits at the expense of their patrons and the public in general. Metro police and other law enforcement agencies are all out to ensure that regulations are adhered to in public transport as well, more especially minibus taxis that ferry the majority of residents. Post funeral gatherings are prohibited and only a maximum of 100 people are allowed for any indoor gathering while not more than 250 people are allowed to gather outdoors.
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