Cape Town is a city that is known for being home to some of the country’s most avid hikers, and great concern is now surrounding how nature-lovers can enjoy the outdoors while staying safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hiking Cape Town Facebook group has laid out measures to help hikers remain safe in an unsafe time.
“As this is not a hiking group, but a community, it is impossible to police people’s actions. However, in the light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I feel we all need to be much more conscious when it comes to organising our hikes, particularly hikes with many people, especially strangers whom you know nothing about,” the group said in a statement. “Keep in mind that everyone can be a vector and that therefore everyone can transmit COVID-19 to people who may not be able to fight off the disease as well of you. You may not get very sick, but your infection may seriously hurt a person in the process.”
Hiking Cape Town warns avid nature-lovers not to brush off the current pandemic or dismiss it as not being a big enough deal. “Sure, South Africa’s infection rate may be small compared to other countries, but that can very well change if we don’t all play our part. This really is not just about you, but about everyone else, particularly those who have no means to fight off the disease,” the group said.
Hikers are advised to keep their hiking group size to a minimum. “Keep the social distancing guidelines in place, and do all the other necessary (washing hands, no handshakes, etc),” it added. “This is much easier when hiking with one or two people.”
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