Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has called for the National State of Disaster to expire so that the focus can turn to creating more jobs.
Winde announced on Thursday, January 6 that the province has passed the peak of the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, categorised by the omicron variant.
“I am pleased to announce that the Western Cape has now passed the peak of its fourth wave, and we expect a consistent decline in cases in the weeks ahead. While the number of cases and test positivity rate exceeded the second and third wave peak respectively, hospitalisations were lower, and deaths remained notably low,” Winde said.
Also read: Western Cape passes the peak of the 4th wave according to Winde
According to Winde, there is now no need for the National State of Disaster, which is an extreme tool imposed with the primary intention of protecting our health platform.
“It must be allowed to expire by Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the national government has had more than enough time to put in place alternative management systems outside of a disaster declaration, and I already called in October last year for a roadmap to be made public that would enable the termination of the disaster now. The public and the economy should not be expected to wait any longer,” Winde said.
The Premier went on to say that everyone must refocus their attention on our country’s second pandemic which also cost lives – our jobs crisis.
“A job is a ticket out of poverty. It is the best way to fight crime. It prevents hunger and ensures children can grow healthily, getting onto a ladder of opportunity. We need to fight this pandemic with the same energy and passion, and the Western Cape Government intends to do so,” Winde said.
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