STATEMENT BY BRETT HERRON, GOOD MEMBER OF THE WESTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL PARLIAMENT AND SECRETARY-GENERAL
11 AUGUST 2020
The Western Cape government must learn from the bad experiences of certain right-leaning states in the US and avoid making stupid decisions on Covid-19 that could lead to a resurgence of the pandemic.
The Western Cape had called for the lifting of remaining restrictions on economic activity and the lifting of the alcohol sales ban – arguing that the pandemic has peaked in the province.
The GOOD Party agrees that re-opening the economy and saving jobs must be prioritised. This must be achieved incrementally, on the basis of the science and experience of others. These kind of decisions canot be taken for purposes of political grandstanding – or at the unnecessary cost of lives.
A million learners are due to return to school in the next two weeks. Many of them will use public transport.
We don’t know what impact these additional movements and gatherings will have on our infection curve.
What we do know is that we must learn from the errors of those who are ahead of our infection curve.
The data on Covid-19 infections seems to suggest that most provinces in South Africa can be cautiously optimistic that infection rates are flattening or slowing down.
Other countries have been through this too and a false sense of confidence led some to relax their restrictions too soon – resulting in a resurgence of the infection and reintroduction of restrictions.
A prudent decision to relax trade restrictions in the country, or the Western Cape Province, must take the impact of schoold reopening into account.
The DA-led Western Cape wants restrictions lifted on the basis of the current trajectory of infections and hospitalisations.
At the same time the DA leadership is calling for the lifting of all tourism restrictions in the country and for inter-provincial travel to be allowed immediately. This will wipe out any advantage the Western Cape claims to have.
It is a situation crying out for far-sightedness;not political opportunism.
ENDS…