The City of Cape Town’s Mayor Dan Plato has announced that from Tuesday, March 24 beaches across the Mother City will be closed. This is to extend the practice of social distancing and flatten the curve.
The mayor said a public request to limit beach visits was made last week, an increase in beach goers has been observed. This may be a result of other public facilities having closed.
Plato said that other coastal areas have closed their beaches and so the City of Cape Town “will be closing beaches” too until further notice. Law enforcement officers will be patrolling these areas to ensure rules are abided by. Lifeguards will be stationed to assist law enforcement but there will be no flags to indicate swimming areas.
From 5pm on Monday March 23, the Shark Spotting Programme will halt all shifts. No spotters will be on duty at any beaches across Cape Town.
Beaches will be closed for all activities on the sand or in the water.
The following will be prohibited from Tuesday:
- Swimming
- Surfing
- Kite-surfing
- Kayaking
- Recreational fishing
- Other beach or water-based activities
“We are in the midst of an unprecedented period that calls for greater awareness and interventions. We have seen around the world how members of the public have flocked to beaches during this critical time and we want to ensure that residents and visitors are not placing themselves at increased risk by congregating in large numbers at beaches,” Plato said.
“Our Disaster Risk Management staff will continue with their soap hand-out drive in informal settlements, and do loud-hailing in our communities, to draw attention to the serious Covid-19 measures that have been put in place, and how our residents can play their part to limit the spread of the virus.
“We are regularly updated by National and Provincial Government about the latest measures to be implemented and are fully supporting them by implementing these measures as quickly as possible.
“Please work with us, limit your interaction with others as much as possible, stay indoors if you can, and help us flatten the curve. By working together, we can limit the spread of the virus,” concluded Plato.
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