Steenhuisen: Behavioural change only way to combat Covid-19
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has emphasised behavioural change as the best way to combat the deadly Covid-19 virus.
Steenhuisen was reacting to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on Thursday that Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape has been declared the country’s first Covid-19 hotspot.
“Significant behavioural changes are still the best weapon to combat not only the spread of infections, but also to prevent other medical trauma from clogging up our hospitals and ICU beds,” he said.
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“This behavioural change needs to also apply to social gatherings over this holiday season. We may remain on Level 1, which allows for substantial indoor gatherings of up to 250 people, but such a large gathering would be extremely irresponsible given everything we know now about the spread of this airborne virus.
“Numbers and close contact matter more than anything else, so this has to be a holiday season with a difference. People need to keep any social contact to a minimum, on a small scale, and outside where possible.
President Ramaphosa has placed the Nelson Mandela Bay metro under strict regulations, which include a curfew of 22:00 until 4:00 as well as restrictions on the sale of alcohol.
Steenhuisen says the government should do all it can to intervene in the area, which is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 infections.
“This must involve increasing capacity at existing hospitals for Covid-specific use as well as the provision and staffing of temporary field hospitals.”
