The City of Cape Town’s Health Department has urged continued compliance with health protocols as the metro continues to show a decrease in new infections and deaths.

‘We have passed the peak of the third wave and it would seem all caution is being thrown to the wind.  The past two weekends our Environmental Health department joined uniformed officers in enforcement operations and it’s clear many residents and businesses are not taking the pandemic serious enough. Everyone wants to get back to normal, but to do that we need each person to do their part in staying safe,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

This past weekend the EH officials and officers inspected 19 premises, which included pubs, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs within the CBD, Woodstock, Brooklyn and Salt River.

Of these premises, 12 were served with written instructions as they did not meet the requirements set out by the Disaster Management Act. These premises were overcrowded and patrons/staff failed to wear masks.

Nine were fined for contravening the Tobacco Products Control Act, 83 of 1993, while these premises were fined in terms of the Business Act, 71 of 1991 for trading without a valid Business License.

The previous weekend, of 4 September, 10 premises in the CBD were inspected and seven were given written instructions for being overcrowded and patrons/staff failing to wear masks.

Five premises were fined for contravening the Tobacco Products Control Act, 83 of 1993 and three were fined in terms of the Business Act, 71 of 1991 for trading without a valid Business Licence.

‘It is disheartening that in our hurry to get back to the way things were, we are disregarding the law. Funerals remain a cause for concern as during the second week of August, two out of nine funerals were not compliant, and the week after seven out of 80 did not adhere to the protocols.

‘The move to adjusted Alert Level 2 allows for further opening of the economy and greater freedoms, but with this, should come greater responsibility. Continue to wear your mask, social distance and adhere to the other regulations, which are all there to ensure we can all get through this as safely and quickly as possible,’ said Councillor Badroodien.

There were 4 405 new cases last week in the metro compared to 6 211 the previous week, which is a 29% decrease. There were 269 deaths last week compared to 401 the week before and is a drop of 33%.

Registration for Covid-19 vaccination has opened on the EVDS for those aged 18 and older and SMS appointments will be sent to people in this age group who have successfully registered.

Persons in this age group who wish to be vaccinated without waiting for the SMS appointment, may go to one of the public sector vaccination sites as a walk-in.

However be prepared to wait for your turn as persons 50 years and older will be prioritised as this age group is more at risk of severe Covid-19 infection that could result in hospitalisation.

Any resident 50 years and older who has not registered, or has not received an appointment, can go to their nearest public sector vaccination site for assisted registration and vaccination.

Those who have not yet registered on EVDS, are encouraged to register and get vaccinated ahead of the fourth wave, which the experts anticipate will be here by December 2021.

Source: City Of Cape Town