Western Cape Premier Alan Winde on Thursday called for the province to be moved to lockdown Level 3 as soon as possible, even before the end of the month.
Ironically, his call comes a day after he went into self-isolation after he’d been in contact with someone who had died of Covid-19.
Winde said he would raise the issue of switching to Level 3 in upcoming consultations with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The president was scheduled to visit the Western Cape today as part of a countrywide tour to check on the provinces’ Coronavirus preparations, but this was cancelled.
Winde said he would be going into isolation for seven days after having a one-on-one interview with eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom, 45, last Thursday.
Tom was admitted to hospital on Sunday night, 10 May, and tested positive for Covid-19 before passing away in hospital on Wednesday morning.
VICTIM: eNCA’s Lungile Tom
Ramaphosa on Wednesday evening announced that South Africa would be moving to Level 3 at the end of May.
However, this would exclude metropolitan areas identified as infection hotspots.
The Western Cape is the epicentre of the virus and home to more than half of South Africa’s 12 074 Covid-19 cases.
In addition, of the country’s 219 deaths, 117 are from the Western Cape.
But Winde is adamant his province is ready to move to level 3, saying the provincial healthcare system was ready to handle the escalating outbreak.
“With our healthcare system prepared, it is simply no longer possible to maintain Level 4 restrictions anywhere in the Western Cape or South Africa,” he said.
“The economic crisis caused by these restrictions has resulted in a life-threatening humanitarian disaster that will only worsen in the months ahead.”
The premier said the province had a data-driven approach that allowed it to pinpoint Coronavirus hotspots “down to street-level” and plans are in place to contain transmission and protect vulnerable people.
EXPOSED: Premier Alan Winde went into self-isolation
He said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize had been briefed on the province’s strategy at the weekend.
He said that there was no need to place entire municipal areas on a higher alert level.
“In conjunction with the determined enforcement of this hotspot plan, alert Level 3 should be adopted for the entire Western Cape province,” added Winde.