Media Release: Statement by Premier Alan Winde at his weekly digital press conference

19 January 2021

“The Western Cape has passed its second wave peak. Our health platform has adequate capacity. It’s time for more of the Western Cape’s economy to be safely opened to save jobs”

Throughout this devastating pandemic, the Western Cape Government has focussed on getting the balance right: trying to save both lives and livelihoods.

We have done everything we can in the most difficult of circumstances to provide a world class health response, that delivers life-saving healthcare to every person who needs it when they need it.

During this time, we have also not been afraid to fight for jobs because having a job is not just a ‘nice-to-have’. For many people in the Western Cape it is the difference between putting food on the table and starving.

In effect, we have been responding to two pandemics. One caused by the Covid-19 virus, and the other by growing poverty, unemployment and hunger.

Our position remains that both need to be fought with passion and courage, because both cost lives - now and in the future. 

When President Ramaphosa announced additional restrictions for the Western Cape and South Africa last month, taking us to an adjusted alert level 3, I supported the announcement as a necessary last resort.

At the time, the Western Cape was experiencing a significant surge of new infections and hospitalisations, caused by this new highly transmissible variant of Covid-19.

To put it simply, because more people were being infected with Covid-19 at a faster rate, more people were arriving at our healthcare facilities over a shorter period of time.

This surge put an enormous burden on our healthcare workers, at a time when healthcare worker infections were on the increase at a faster rate.

The surge was also taking place during our festive season period, when more people come together to socialise with family and friends, and when more people arrive at our trauma units as a result of alcohol related harms.

This was creating a perfect storm that at that moment shifted the balance we had fought hard for. We needed to get the balance right again by helping our healthcare system.

In supporting some of these restrictions (the Western Cape was against the beach ban from the start as it was not based on good scientific advice), we were clear that they needed to be reviewed after fourteen days, and every seven days thereafter, based on evidence and data.

“The Western Cape’s surge has ended & new cases, oxygen usage, healthcare worker infections and test positivity on decline”

It has now been 21 days since that announcement was made and we have to reconsider our position based on the data and evidence available to us.

In doing so, we need to ask ourselves: is the balance in saving both lives and livelihoods being achieved currently? The answer to this question is no.

Key job creating sectors of our economy are buckling and shedding jobs at a time when we have passed our second wave peak and our platform is successfully responding to the pandemic.

Our health platform response demonstrates this:

The Western Cape’s surge has ended, and our active cases are on decline. There has been a 19% drop in Metro cases, and a 18% decline in rural cases.

Oxygen usage at our facilities has started to flatten and decline.

Our test positivity rate is on a sustained decline for now more than 2 weeks. This is a clear and robust measure that demonstrates that we are leaving our peak.

Our reproductive number for infection is now below 1. This is another measure that demonstrates decline and that we are leaving our peak.

The surge of hospitalisations has ended, and there is stabilisation. We continue to have capacity to respond and no person has been denied treatment at our facilities over this time.

The infection rate amongst healthcare workers has declined.

“While under pressure, we had enough beds and oxygen to respond during second wave”

At the same time, the Western Cape has brought online capacity to ensure care for every person who needs it:

All 200 beds at the Mitchells Plain Hospital of Hope field hospital have been commissioned. Not all of these beds have been used.

Of the 136 additional beds that could have been brought online should more be needed, we have only needed to bring 20 beds online because of the hospital stabilisation.

Our additional supply of Oxygen has meant that all our facilities have adequate oxygen, and one of the five tankers have been returned.

We have sufficient PPE supplies for healthcare workers and other frontline staff.

We have now made offers to 529 healthcare workers to increase healthcare worker capacity. 81 have started already.

The evidence and data are clear that the Western Cape has passed its peak, and while there is pressure, we have adequate capacity and resources to provide care to every person who needs it.

“The Western Cape’s economy is bleeding, and balance is not currently being achieved in saving both lives and livelihoods”

On the other side of the equation, the data is clearly pointing to serious economic challenges in the Western Cape, that is costing jobs and hurting the most vulnerable in our communities:

The first two weeks of the latest alcohol ban is estimated to have cost the Western Cape economy R1 billion. This has impacted 1 893 direct jobs in the retail sector and 905 induced and indirect jobs across the value chain resulting in 2 798 jobs being compromised.

If the ban is to continue for a full month, it will end up costing the Western Cape’s economy R2 billion. This would then impact 5 596 jobs.

Nearly 30% of restaurants surveyed have closed temporarily or permanently, based on data from Restaurant Association of South Africa. There is an inflection point where shortened operating hours do not make business sense to operate, resulting in workers losing their jobs.

Wine grapes represent 50,3% of the 181 233 ha under production in the Western Cape, and the replacement value of these wine grapes amount to R33,94 billion.

The Western Cape’s Department of Agriculture estimates that 45 610, people work in the primary production side of the wine industry and it supports 228 053 people.

Based our tourism multiplier model, which has been used in the Western Cape’s research for many years, the continued beach ban is costing the sector over R120 million per month. Some 12.8% of the annual 8 million visitors indicate beach visits as their top activity.

When this significant impact on jobs in the Western Cape is considered in relation to our latest health data it becomes clear that a change to existing restrictions are needed in the Western Cape.

This needs to be done in a safe way, that does not undermine the health response, and which is based on common sense.

“I have written to Minister Mkhize to relax certain restrictions in the Western Cape, so we get the balance right again”

I have therefore written to the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, to request the following changes to restrictions in the Western Cape, as a matter of urgency:

The ban on beaches and other public spaces must be lifted in our province. Open spaces with good ventilation are safer and they do not provide a high risk. Furthermore, the festive season is over, and people are back at work.

The curfew be changed to 23h00 to 04h00. The current curfew makes it impossible for restaurants to provide a dinner service and this sector is buckling as a result.

A closing time for 22h00 for establishments, that will allow for staff to get home before curfew begins.

Alcohol sales be permitted offsite from Monday to Thursday, and not permitted on the weekend.

Alcohol sales be permitted at wine farms on the weekend, as this is the time when most visitors come to wine farms. Such sales are critical for the survival of wine tourism in the Western Cape.

Onsite alcohol consumption be allowed. If restaurants cannot sell alcohol with dinner service, they will not remain profitable and will be forced to close. This will result in many job losses.

As is clear from above, we are not requesting a complete lifting of all restrictions as it is important to get the balance right as we continue to exit our peak.

In particular, the number of people being permitted to gather should not be relaxed at this point, as there is clear evidence that the greater the number of people gathering in an enclosed space, the greater the risk of infection.

We will continue to monitor our data on a weekly basis and should there be evidence to support additional restrictions being relaxed, we will do so without hesitation.

“We need to change our deadly relationship with alcohol, but blanket bans are not sustainable”

I do want to pause for a moment to address alcohol related harms, which remains a major challenge in our province and country.

The restrictions on alcohol sales without a doubt helped reduce alcohol related harms over the last two weeks. Over New Year’s Eve in particular, when we usually have full trauma wards, we had a relatively quiet evening.

This did help our healthcare workers during an unprecedented surge caused by this new more infectious variant.

With that said, it is simply not possible to ban alcohol indefinitely. As set out above, the sector simply employs too many people and supports too many households for it to be shut down.

It is also critical for our tourism and hospitality sector, which employs hundreds of thousands of people in our province.

The Western Cape is continuing, as quickly as possible, with the amendment to the Western Cape Liquor Act to address alcohol related harms in a sustainable manner, because it is clear our deadly relationship with alcohol needs to change urgently.

“If the Western Cape can gain access to additional vaccines, it will, of course, accept them”

The Western Cape Government continues with its planning for the rollout of vaccines to healthcare workers, as part of the first phase of our rollout strategy.

We are however still awaiting clarity on when the first dosages, announced by Minister Mkhize, will arrive in the Western Cape. We are planning around the first week of February.

We have also initiated an internal communications process to ensure that our healthcare workers and professionals are provided with the information they need in advance of this rollout.

This campaign will be ramped up during the course of this week and in the week ahead. It is important that we allay any fears healthcare workers have so that we have a high take up when the vaccines arrive.

We are also planning a major external communications campaign, that will start even before vaccines are secured, so that we take on the growing tide of fake news on vaccines. More information on this campaign will be announced in due course.

As we have done throughout this pandemic, we will continue to work with our national counterparts – in the spirit of the constitutionally enshrined principle of cooperative governance. This includes with vaccines.

With this said, our government shares with the national government responsibility for health services, which is a concurrent function under the Constitution, and it would hence be irresponsible for our government to sit back and do nothing when it is clear that there is currently not enough vaccines secured for the Western Cape.

As part of our due diligence as a provincial government, we will, of course, accept vaccines if we are able to secure more of them.

This would not only be for the benefit of the Western Cape, but also for the country as a whole. South Africa faces an enormous challenge in securing vaccines after being late to order them, and any additional vaccines secured should be viewed as positive assistance to our national cause.

There is nothing in law that prevents this, and it is morally and ethically the right thing to do.

The truth is that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on this country and vaccines are an important tool in managing the impact of this virus.

Vaccines can save lives and as a caring and responsible government, we must be doing everything we can to ensure that we secure as many doses as possible, as quickly as possible.

“Easing of some restrictions need to be matched by personal responsibility”

Finally, it is important that we do not let our foot off the pedal and that we continue to stay safe.

While we are seeing the Western Cape exit its peak, there are still many people who are infected. We therefore have to continue to change our behaviour until such stage as the pandemic is over.

Please:

Wear a clean cloth mask, covering your nose and mouth, when out in public or with people outside your household

Keep your hands clean, by washing them regularly and sanitizing

Avoid the 3Cs: that is, crowded places, confined space and close contact.

Avoid non-essential gatherings.

Outdoors is better and safer, so if you are seeing a family members, keep it short, smaller, well-distanced and outside.

If we all keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, we can make sure the Western Cape moves forward again.

***

Update on the coronavirus by Premier Alan Winde

19 January 2021

As of 1pm on 1 January, the Western Cape has 32 601 active Covid-19 infections with a total of 256 405 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 214 460 recoveries.

 The Western Cape has recorded 145 additional deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 9344. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.

Additional data is available on the Western Cape Covid-19 data dashboard which also features active cases per sub-district, active cases per 100 000 and 7-day moving averages. Access the data dashboard here: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-dashboard

Issued by Western Cape Office of the Premier, 19 January 2021