In the Western Cape 52 people have died of COVID-19 complications in the past 24 hours, local Government said on Wednesday [July 22]. This brings the number of coronavirus-related deaths in the province to 2 746. There are also 12 135 active cases.
On Tuesday, July 21 there were 12 254 active cases and on Wednesday there were 119 less. This is the second day in a row that the active case numbers have dropped.
More data is available here: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-dashboard
The Western Cape Government is deeply concerned by the growing joblessness pandemic emerging in the Western Cape and South Africa.
“Data released by Statistics South Africa on Tuesday lays bare the harsh reality of the impact that the lockdown has had on the food and beverages industry in particular,” Cape government said.
Their stats show that in April, when the country was under the hard lockdown, revenue for restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and take-away businesses fell 94% when compared to April 2019. In May, under lockdown level four, revenue fell by 87,9% compared to May 2019.
“In the Western Cape, where tourism and hospitality are among the leading job creators, the impact on employment will be devastating,” provincial government said. “Jobs are not ‘nice-to-haves’. They are the difference between putting food on the table, and starving. We have to treat this second pandemic with equal determination because it will also cost lives.”
According to provincial government, the Cape has worked around the clock to prepare it’s healthcare system for the peak of infections, and while under pressure, it’s health platform is coping because of these interventions.
“We will not let our foot off the pedal and will continue to work tirelessly to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. But we cannot just leave it there. All levels of government must also realise that jobs do save lives too, and they must act in a way that takes this seriously. For this to happen, we need smart, innovative solutions to our complex problems. We need to work together with private sector and find ways to allow business to re-open safely.”
Provincial government maintains will continue to fight for the safe re-opening of the economy and will work with the private sector in ensuring this happens.
“Let’s work together as partners and get our people back to work, safely. If we act in this way now, we can defeat both the COVID and unemployment pandemics in South Africa.”
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