Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has announced that the number of diagnosed coronavirus cases in the province has risen to 522. This figure was released on Thursday, April 9. Previously, on April 8, the figure came to 510.
During a live stream, many journalists asked questions pertaining to the possible extension of the lockdown, but this has not been confirmed.
“It is a national decision,” Winde said. “Right now, lockdown is having a huge impact on the economy. If I had a choice, we would still have a.. kind of lockdown. We still have to have a mechanism in place to manage the spread of the disease. The lockdown we would need to have means we would still need some sort of mobility to run businesses. There would have to be social distancing and compulsory mask-wearing. There would be a whole range of differences in our normal lives. With the current state of lockdown, it would not be economically sound for it to continue for months.”
The Premier added that residents of the Cape must not think that things will return to normal when the lockdown comes to an end. “We are definitely not going to be in a normal state when this is over.”
Areas of the Western Cape have been identified as ‘high-priority areas’ as the process of home screening continues. These include Mitchells Plain, Philippi, Mossel Bay, Khayelitsha, Bishop Lavis, Kraaifontein and the Bo-Kaap.
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