WESTERN CAPE NEWS - In a media statement earlier today, premier Alan Winde said that the impact of the lockdown regulations on the tourism sector has been severe.
According to the statement:
In the coming week, we will celebrate the start of Tourism Month in South Africa. Tourism is a key job creating sector in the Western Cape, responsible for thousands of jobs, and the impact of the lockdown regulations on this sector and the people it employs, has been severe.
In order to promote domestic tourism in the Western Cape, the Western Cape Government and Wesgro will be launching the "We are Open" campaign tomorrow. This campaign highlights the best that the Western Cape has to offer, and showcases how the province can easily match experiences on offer elsewhere in the world.
On Tuesday, we will also see the iconic Table Mountain Cableway re-open for visitors, and the Two Oceans Aquarium will also open its doors. Last week, we also saw a number of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports' affiliated museums receiving the go ahead to re-open their doors, among them the Togryers Museum in Ceres, the Caledon Museum, the Huguenot Memorial in Franschhoek, the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum, the Shipwreck Museum in Bredasdorp and the Stellenbosch Museum. A number of others are also awaiting the go ahead to re-open.
These are all signs that the Western Cape is open for local travel and we look forward to welcoming visitors from across South Africa to our province. Thousands of jobs have been lost in the tourism sector and your support can help to save jobs now. If you can afford to, we call on you to visit a local tourism attraction in your city, book a tour to experience a neighbourhood you've never visited or enjoy a weekend away in our province. You can also help to promote a local business by taking a photo at your favorite attraction, restaurant, or tourism establishment and share it on social media with the hashtag WeAreOpen.
I also call on businesses and for travelers to ensure that they are taking every precaution so that this important sector can open safely. Businesses must put in place measures to protect their staff and their customers, and travelers must ensure that no matter where they are, they are adhering to the golden rules, wearing their masks, social distancing and regularly washing their hands.
Update on the coronavirus
As of 13:00 on 30 August, the Western Cape has 4048 active cases of Covid-19, with a total of 104 973 confirmed cases and 97 057 recoveries.
Garden Route district
- Bitou - 577 cases, 527 recoveries
- Knysna - 1359 cases, 1254 recoveries
- George - 3316 cases, 3020 recoveries
- Hessequa - 271 cases, 247 recoveries
- Kannaland - 109 cases, 105 recoveries
- Mossel Bay - 2141 cases, 1915 recoveries
- Oudtshoorn 1171 cases, 829 recoveries
Data note
It is not always possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new recorded case is correct, within the time frames required to provide regular and timely updates. This means that in some instances, cases could be allocated to the wrong sub-districts. We are working with the sub-districts to clean and verify the data and where errors are picked up locally, cases will be re-allocated to the correct areas.
More data is available on the dashboard here.
The Western Cape has recorded an additional 7 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 3868. We send our condolences to their family and friends at this time.
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