Many of us know Sun City for many reasons. The Valley of the Waves, whose cool turquoise waters served for many years as the only ‘beach’ for Gauteng and North West locals. The Emporer’s Palace, whose mystical architecture encapsulates one to feel like they have discovered a hidden African treasure of royalty. The lazy river that will have you cruising nonchalantly as you forget your city troubles, and, of course, there’s the arcade, nightlife, shows, zip lining experiences, golfing excursions- it really is a million thrills in one.
But an additional ‘thrill’ is recently part of the Pilansberg beloved, as Sun City’s Convention Centre turns into a vaccination site, and is going to extend the service to surrounding communities.
Sun City’s vaccination site aims to vaccinate 7,500 people in three phases, according to IOL.
“We will start with Sun City staff, service providers and concessionaires, before offering the vaccine to their family members, and finally, to all those working at hospitality establishments in the Moses Kotane District,” said Sun City General Manager Brett Hoppe as per GoodThingsGuy.
Now, Sun City’s vaccination roll-out is set to follow the government’s blueprint, by means of focusing on age groups, but they believe they’ll be able to complete their project in two months.
Following this, the gorgeous resort also announced that their vaccination drive will include an outreach programme for locals in the surrounding areas. Sun City is sprawled along the border of the Pilanesberg National Park in the North West Province.
“We obviously want to protect our staff, but it is equally important to us to ensure that people living in our local communities are looked after and are safe.”
According to Hoppe, data is being collected on the 35-49-year-olds. Their medical aids would cover the cost of the vaccine, while the Department of Health is set to cover non-members.
An ideal setting?
The Department of Health has inspected the Sun City vaccination site and given the go-ahead for the initiative to go forth until December, but as previously mentioned, Sun City is placing their bets on the fact that they’ll be able to complete the project much faster.
“We will have 15 vaccinators on site, who can each vaccinate 50 people per day. We will start with five vaccinators for 200 people for the first three days to iron out any potential glitches and then increase capacity. But we don’t anticipate any problems. Sun City is used to hosting events of the size and magnitude of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, so we are confident that the preparations for our vaccination site will be seamless,” according to Hoppe.
On the itinerary:
Warrior’s Hall: Electronic vaccination data system confirmation and pre-vaccination vitals
Superbowl: Used as the vaccination, discharge and observation areas.
“Medics will be on hand to assist people should they show any sign of an allergic reaction or to transport them to the nearby hospital.”
If anything, it’s a brilliant initiative that could spark ideas for other resorts and those in the hospitality industry!
Picture: Unsplash