The Western Cape Government says that it remains on high alert following the announcement of a new variant, Omicron, first discovered by scientists in South Africa.
According to Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, the province have an excellent surveillance system in place and are closely monitoring all metrics to ensure that the provincial government remain prepared.
“However, what is clear is that there are still many unknowns on how this new variant will impact the pandemic, and that is why we urge the public to remain calm while increasing their vigilance during this time,” Winde said.
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Winde indicated further that the discovery of the new variant has been a hammer blow to the major job-creating sector in the province as we needed a recovery, to claw back jobs lost over the last 19 months.
“This is extremely distressing to me, especially because the WHO has made it clear that travel bans are not an effective response.
“Our economy needs help urgently and that is why I call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce an emergency financial support package for this sector so that we save jobs,” Winde reiterated.
Setback
The Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier added that the new variant has turned things upsides down which is a major setback for the tourism and hospitality sector in the Western Cape.
“We are devastated that, at the very moment recovery was kicking in, we have been hit by a new variant which has turned things upsides down,” Maynier explained.
Maynier said he has convened daily coordination meetings with partners, including his department, ACSA, and Wesgro regarding the impact this will have on the tourism industry.
“We have been working around the clock to assist passengers who have been stranded by providing access to transport and accommodation, and by liaising with Consulates to assist where necessary. We want these tourists to come back again soon and so making sure they get all the help they need during this stressful time is important to us,” Maynier said.
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