13 July 2020

As of 1 pm on 13 July, the Western Cape has 16 689 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 78548 confirmed cases and 59 492 recoveries.

Sub Districts Cape Town Metro:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 6594 (4098 recovered)

Data note:  As the province moves closer to the peak and the Department of Health is recording over 1000 new cases daily, it is not possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new 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 here: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-dashboard

The Western Cape has recorded an additional 24 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 2367. We send our condolences to their family and friends at this time.

Masks for Madiba:

On Saturday, we mark President Nelson Mandela’s birthday and Mandela Day.

Traditionally, the day is marked by giving 67 minutes of your time in service of others. This year, it may be more difficult to spend time in care facilities, hospitals and homes because of the need to protect the vulnerable and to practice social distancing. I myself, will still be self-isolating at home, due to testing positive for COVID-19. However, this does not mean that we cannot work together in acts of kindness and of solidarity.

I appeal to residents who are able to, to donate a mask or more in our 67 Masks for Madiba campaign. Over the next week, we will be collecting new and unused masks for both children and adults to ensure that we are able to get masks to as many of our residents as possible to help protect them, their loved ones and to slow the spread of COVID-19.

We have partnered with Wesgro’s Maskathon Challenge to help get as many masks into communities as possible.

My wife Tracy and I will be donating 67 masks to the cause. We encourage everyone to challenge their friends, family members and colleagues to get involved and donate too. Whether you can only donate one mask, or 67, whether you’re a school, business or big corporate, we want you to get involved.

Here’s how:

-If you can sew and make your own masks, we encourage you to get creative. Guidelines on what materials to use, and how many layers the mask should be, can be found here: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/news/covid-19-cloth-masks-public-use

-Support local, small businesses in your community making masks, and purchase to donate. Purchased masks can be dropped off in the boxes on the ground floor at 9 Dorp street between 7am and 6pm daily.

-Visit www.maskathon.co.za/masksformadiba/ where you can pledge masks, or make cash donations. Monetary donations will be made to one of two partner organisations, the Craft and Design Institute and the Health Foundation. These funds will be allocated to community-based manufacturers from vulnerable communities, creating an income stream for them. Physical masks pledged through this page can be delivered to the Craft and Design Institute at the Watershed at the V&A Waterfront.

-Corporates wishing to make large donations can either pledge through the link above, or can email bianca.capazorio@westerncape.gov.za with details of their donation.

Help us share the love by sharing a picture of yourself and your donation, using the hashtag #masksformadiba and tag my social media accounts. We will be sharing some of the pictures between now and Saturday.

MEDIA RELEASE BY DAVID MAYNIER

WESTERN CAPE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Date: 13 July 2020

Release: immediately

Tourism sector dealt a severe blow

The tourism sector has been dealt a severe blow with the publishing of the amended regulations for Alert Level 3 last night (12 July 2020). While these regulations provide the clarity that I have been calling for on the opening of accommodation for leisure for travel within provinces, this decision, and the prior confusion caused by the Presidency and the Minister of Tourism, has sent an industry that is already hard hit by Covid-19 into a state of turmoil.

The tourism sector in the Western Cape is facing significant job losses of almost 50 per cent. What is worse, is that many of these accommodation establishments had celebrated the original changes to Alert Level 3 and had opened up and accepted guests and must now close again. This unexplained change will cause further economic hardship for many businesses and will likely cause further job losses.

The tourism sector has been subject to flip flopping, uncertainty and ultimately a decision made with no explanation as to why accommodation for leisure for travel within provinces  is not allowed. This is completely unjustifiable considering the lengths that the industry has gone to in order to put in place the necessary safety measures to stop the spread of Covid-19.

In fact, if the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, is comfortable that health and safety measures can be implemented for accommodation for business travel to open, then why can accommodation for leisure not be opened?

And if the public can visit a casino, cinema or restaurant, why can a family not travel to a self-catering accommodation unit for a weekend away?

I will be writing to both the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, today to request that they urgently reconsider this decision.

There are not only lives at stake as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also many livelihoods. The tourism sector in the Western Cape provides thousands of jobs that put food on the table for many South African families, especially those in rural communities.

In the President’s speech last night there was no mention of how these families were going to be supported if their livelihoods are taken away. In the absence of a plan, the tourism sector must be allowed to open safely and responsibly.

Notes for media:
To read the statement online visit: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/news/tourism-sector-dealt-severe-blow

Media Queries:

Francine Higham

Spokesperson for the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities

(Responsible for the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism)

Tel: 021 483 4327 / Cell: 071 087 5150

Email: francine.higham@westerncape.gov.za

13 July 2020

The scientific reason for the Hard Lockdown and additional alert level restrictions is to slow the transmission of the virus, to flatten the curve of new infections, and therefore to ensure that our health system can provide care to every person who needs it, when they need it.

That is why, from the very beginning, I made clear that the Western Cape Government supports common-sense regulations, based on scientific reasoning. When you make decisions based on this evidence, and with full transparency, you strengthen trust, encourage collective action and form an effective social compact with the people.

The Western Cape Government has taken this very seriously. That is why we have been fully transparent with the people of this province about our challenges, why we have supported common-sense regulations that make a difference in our fight against the pandemic, and why we have always based our reasoning on scientific and medical advice.

We have also maintained that we cannot look at the Covid-19 pandemic in isolation. Every decision that we make in the fight against Covid-19 has a knock-on-effect, causing a number of other challenges that are detrimental to the well-being and health of our people.

The reality is that every single province in South Africa is now also facing a catastrophic unemployment pandemic. Millions of people are going to lose their jobs, if they haven’t already. The consequences of this jobs crisis are severe. It is causing a humanitarian crisis that will impact our poorest and most vulnerable residents. This has very real health consequence and it will also cost lives.

And that is why the Western Cape Government, in our response to Covid-19, has always said we must get the balance right. We must save lives now, but also save lives in the future too. We must slow the spread, and ready our health-systems, but we must do it in a way that still allows for safe economic activity that will help put food on the table for our residents.

This balanced approach to fighting Covid-19 remains our top priority. We did not waste a day of Lockdown in preparing our health-system for the peak of infections, and we will continue to work tirelessly to save lives. But we support doing this in a way that does not cause a humanitarian crisis that will cost lives too.

Mandatory mask wearing:

We welcome the stricter regulations around mask wearing announced by the President. Our own behavioral science research and medical advice is that mask-wearing remains one of the most effective measures in slowing the spread of the virus.

However, wearing a mask is not a natural human behaviour and it is difficult to get used to.  These additional regulations will therefore make sure that mask-wearing becomes part of the “new normal” that we are faced with in the Western Cape and South Africa.

I urge all residents of the Western Cape to take these new regulations seriously for yourself, and for the safety of all those around you and I thank those who have actively take responsibility and wear their masks daily. This is an act of kindness and of solidarity which must be celebrated.

We understand that for many, masks are unaffordable and in order to help get masks to as many people as possible in the province, we will be running a Masks for Madiba campaign ahead of Mandela Day this weekend.

My wife Tracy and I will be donating 67 masks and we challenge all individuals, and corporates to help us protect the people of the Western Cape by donating new, unused masks. You can support this drive by dropping masks in boxes in 9 Dorp Street, or by heading to www.maskathon.co.za where you can pledge cash donations, as well as ready-made masks by filling out a pledge form.

We encourage everyone who can, to get involved and to challenge their friends, family and co-workers to make donations too.

We need a long-term, behaviour change approach to alcohol harms-reduction

During Alert Level 4 and Hard Lockdown, when alcohol sales were initially banned, the Western Cape saw a marked decrease in the number of murders in the province- particularly stabbings. We also saw a significant decrease in the number of admissions to our hospital facilities for alcohol-related trauma events. However, after sales were unbanned on 1 June, we saw an almost immediate and notable increase in the number of murders and a surge in trauma admissions again.

This has put additional strain on our healthcare system, especially in our high care and ICU units where we are trying to save the lives of those people infected with Covid-19.

The link between alcohol and violence is well established and a ban on alcohol sales may result in a reduction in incidents of murder, gender-based violence and trauma events such as road accidents, and assaults, and for this reason can have an immediate impact on hospital capacity.

However, this is a blunt mechanism that will negatively impact the Western Cape economy and the Agri-processing sector and will result in job losses across the province. It will also push the sale of alcohol “underground”, with less control over registered sales by our liquor authority. To put it simply, while this may help in the short term, the problem is not going to go away and a long-term ban is not feasible.

That is why we support “smart” interventions that understand that, like with Covid-19, we need a behaviour change approach if we are going to make a difference. We need to think out-side-of-the-box, and this needs to be done whether there is Covid-19 or not.

The Western Cape Government has already initiated a project to consider long-term behaviour change, and we would like this to be a pilot for the country. I will be raising this proposal with the President during our next engagement.

Ban on leisure tourism accommodation strongly opposed by Western Cape:

I am deeply concerned by the effective banning of all leisure tourism accommodation as promulgated in regulations yesterday.

The tourism sector, which employs over 200 000 people in the Western Cape (direct and indirect) has been dealt a severe blow, without proper scientific evidence or reasoning to support it being excluded.

Leisure tourism accommodation that can open safely, following proper safety protocols, should be allowed to do so. We need to view the tourism sector as a partner in our Covid-19 pandemic, and work with them to adapt to this new normal.

The failure to do this will likely see the sector decimated, with more than 50% of jobs being lost. The knock-on-effect for the overall Western Cape economy will be severe.

I will be raising this concern directly with the President as a matter of urgency, and the Western Cape Government will continue to push for the safe re-opening of the tourism sector.

Media Release: Update on the coronavirus by Premier Alan Winde

For Immediate Release
9 July 2020

As of 1pm on 9 July, the Western Cape has 16 449 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 74207 confirmed cases and 55 534 recoveries.

Sub Districts Cape Town Metro:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 6319 (3646 recovered)

Data note:  As the province moves closer to the peak and the Department of Health is recording over 1000 new cases daily, it is not possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new 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 here: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-dashboard

The Western Cape has recorded an additional 47 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 2224. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.

High flow nasal oxygen:

One of the ways the Western Cape is treating seriously ill COVID-19 patients in hospitals is with high flow nasal oxygen- which allows doctors to deliver concentrated oxygen to a patient’s lungs, without a ventilator. After seeing some positive initial results treating patients early on in the pandemic at Tygerberg, we have expanded the treatment and we now have over 160 high flow nasal oxygen machines available in the province.

This treatment is especially important as it does not need to be performed in an ICU setting, and can be administered to patients in acute beds.

This week, Groote Schuur Hospital was able to report some excellent news as five patients at the hospital were deemed well enough to be discharged from ICU and high care to regular wards on the same day, after receiving this life-saving care. Not only is this wonderful news for the patients who are on the way to recovery, but it is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of all of the staff at Groote Schuur hospital who are working on the frontlines to ensure that those who need care, are able to access it.

I would also like to once again share a message of deep gratitude for all the healthcare workers in this province. These phenomenally dedicated people are a true inspiration as they go and work to save lives on the front lines every single day. We thank you all for everything you do.

Mandela Day:

Each year, we mark the birthday of our first democratic President, Nelson Mandela, in July by committing to helping others or performing selfless acts for at least 67 minutes. This year, we have already seen so many South Africans embody the spirit of love, sharing and selflessness, helping wherever there was a need, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the vast humanitarian need created by the lockdown.

Many of the patients in our healthcare facilities are among our most vulnerable, and we would like to provide them with some warmth and comfort during their stay. You can help by preparing a care package, or donating some of the most needed items such as fleece blankets, socks, toiletries, warm clothing and face masks.

You can also include a home made get well soon card, write a poem, or draw a picture that we can give to our patients.

Individuals and corporates wanting to get involved, please contact Harry Grainger at The Health Foundation for more information on how to donate: 021 418 1580 / 072 6133 719

You can also drop off your care packs. Carefully label it with “Spreading Warmth” and your name and drop it off at:

• The Health Foundation offices (16^thFloor Norton Rose House, 8 Riebeek Street, Cape Town)

9 July 2020

Dear members of the media:

Please accept our apologies for the postponement of today’s digicon.

Premier Alan Winde has taken the decision to rest at home, on the advice of his doctor, due to having a slight fever as a result of Covid-19. As he has type 2 diabetes, Premier is monitoring himself closely. His blood glucose levels were also higher than usual this morning, determining the decision to take due precautions and rest.

A new date for the digicon will be communicated in due course.

8 July 2020

As of 1pm on 8 July, the Western Cape has 16 750 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 72 808 confirmed cases and 53 881 recoveries.

Sub Districts Cape Town Metro:

Sub-districts:

Unallocated: 6018 (3493)

Data note:  As the province moves closer to the peak and the Department of Health is recording over 1000 new cases daily, it is not possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new 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 here: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-dashboard

The Western Cape has recorded an additional 38 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 2177. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.

RX radio at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital wins global innovation prize:

Today, I would like to send a huge congratulations to RX Radio, based at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. This station, which run by children, for children, has just been named a winner in the Reboot Health and Well-being innovation challenge, run by the World Health Organisation. This challenge is aimed at celebrating young people’s creativity and their solutions to some of the health issues they face.

​Innovation is one of the values that this government celebrates, and to see our province’s children being honoured for their ideas makes me so very proud.

RX Radio is the first radio station in the world to have trained child reporters from within a hospital. Many of their reporters are patients at the hospital, or family members or friends of a patient.Since the advent of COVID-19, the young people of RX radio have developed innovative and exciting new ways to continue telling young people’s stories.

I myself have had the opportunity of being interviewed by these exceptional young people but I think what is most important is that young people are able to tell their own stories and the stories of their peers. Being able to hear and tell their stories at a time like this is necessary, and the young reporters of RX Radio have done an exceptional job.

You can watch the winner’s announcement video, with a presentation by one of the RX radio reporters here: https://ideas.unite.un.org/reboothealth/Page/Home and see some of the work that the RX Radio team has produced here: http://rxradio.co.za/coronavirus/experiences/

8 July 2020

Tomorrow, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde will hold a digital press conference over Microsoft Teams which will provide an update on the province’s response over the first 100 days of the lockdown as well as more detail on our diabetes risk response.

Premier Winde will be joined by Health Minister Nomafrench Mbombo, Health HOD Keith Cloete and endocrinologist, Dr Joel Dave.

Date:  8 July 2020

Time:  12 pm

Digital platform: Microsoft Teams

Please confirm your attendance by 9 am tomorrow and provide your name, surname, the name of your publication and your email address to be added to Microsoft Teams.  We will provide you with a meeting invite to the briefing, upon your confirmation. Only those who have confirmed attendance will be admitted.