[imagesource: Nardus Engelbrecht/AP]

COVID-19 never went away, but other than wearing a face mask in public, for many South Africans it seemed to become something that bubbled away in the background.

Alas, we’re back to hearing murmurs about alert levels and lockdowns, and the stats paint a pretty grim picture.

Last week, Western Cape Health Department’s chief of operations, Dr. Saadiq Kariem called the province’s COVID-19 numbers a “potentially explosive situation”.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde then released a statement outlining the strain on our hospitals, adding that “every single resident should assume that COVID-19 is everywhere they go”.

Also, happy Monday morning. The end of the year is in sight. We go again.

This via IOL:

A hard, short-term lockdown is potentially on the cards for the Western Cape amid increasing Covid-19 infections in the Cape metro and Garden Route which could affect festive season activities and holiday plans for many residents and visitors…

Premier Alan Winde chaired a meeting on Friday to hash out a plan to try to clamp down on the increase of cases…

In that Friday meeting, Winde said a strategy centred around a five-point plan was tabled, which will be presented to the Provincial Cabinet on Tuesday.

He added that one of the measures discussed was a “mini-lockdown” which would be a last resort which the province would consider if the health system came under strain.

“What is happening in other parts of the world, such as Australia and Singapore, is what they call a circuit breaker. The easiest way to explain it would be a mini-lockdown,” he said.

“They put certain regulations in a municipality or district for six days … no weddings, no funerals, no superspreader events, so no permits would be issued.”

That ‘mini-lockdown’ is a last resort, however, and Winde acknowledged that even a short, days-long ‘circuit breaker’ would lead to job losses and businesses incurring further financial strain.

The Cape Chamber of Commerce released a statement saying that “we need to do everything to prevent further restrictions at all costs… [and] the economy can hardly survive an additional lockdown”.

Gatherings such as Matric Rage parties taking place across the country have come under fire by health experts, who fear they’ll be super-spreader events.

In the Eastern Cape, and Nelson Mandela Bay, in particular, the situation is dire, reports the Sunday Times:

Officials in the Eastern Cape city have gone into emergency mode, with proposals to halt the on-site consumption of alcohol at taverns and pubs, extend the curfew and reduce the permitted size of social gatherings…

Widespread disregard for safety protocols has been blamed for the outbreak in Nelson Mandela Bay, which now accounts for more than 50% of SA’s daily infections.

Ahead of the festive season, the province is a particular worry, given that people from across the country return home to an area considered a hotspot.

Then, when the holidays are over, they return to work and spread the virus across the country.

Head of the COVID-19 ministerial advisory committee, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, said “the way to effectively stop a national outbreak is to get the Eastern Cape situation under control now”.

This was mirrored by Professor Mosa Moshabela, chief medical specialist of rural health and dean of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Nursing and Public Health:

“We are witnessing a second surge localised to the Eastern Cape currently, and spreading throughout the province.

“This will likely trigger a surge in the Western Cape and Gauteng. Gauteng will trigger all other provinces after the holidays, towards the end of January, and through February and March.”

Whilst Health minister Zweli Mkhize denied that there had been talks about placing the metro under heavier lockdown restrictions, a senior ANC source told the Sunday Times that Mkhize, in conjunction with the business community, “had agreed that the area should move back to level 3 of lockdown regulations”.

A return to alert level 3 would mean restrictions around on-site consumption of alcohol, leisure travel, and restrictions on large gatherings, among other measures, but alert levels are subject to change as and where necessary.

A decision on that front is expected to be taken by the end of the week.

You can read the rest of the Sunday Times report here.

South Africa currently has 787 702 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 21 477 deaths. 35 592 cases are considered active.

Not to bang the same drum over and over, but be safe out there, good people.

[sources:iol&sundaytimes]