The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has expressed its concern at the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Nelson Mandela Bay.
According to reports, the metro recorded 346 new COVID-19 cases within the last 48 hours and this has pushed
the total number of active cases to 1 525. The severity of the
situation has seen the metro being declared a hotspot as new cases continue to
rise.
“As the Nelson Mandela
Bay Business Chamber, we are deeply concerned about the steady rise in new
COVID-19 cases in the metro,” the Chamber’s CEO, Denise van Huyssteen, said.
“To this end, we appeal
to metro residents and visitors, including businesses, to exercise extra
caution as the increase in new infections are expected to intensify with the
onset of the third wave. With the new variant reportedly easily transmitted, it
has the potential to infect a large number of people, place a greater strain on
the city’s already overburdened public healthcare system and lead to a greater
loss of innocent lives,” she said.
Van Huyssteen added that currently, Nelson
Mandela Bay has recorded 3 371 deaths whilst recoveries stand at 54 427. The
total number of COVID-19 cases now stand at 59 323.
“We must therefore
remain vigilant and not let our guard down. Our local economy is still reeling
from the last lockdown and ongoing restrictions as per the various alert
levels, which has impacted the sustainability of businesses, particularly in
the tourism and hospitality sectors. Also, very concerning is the impact that this has had in terms of the increase in business closures and rising
unemployment rates,” she explained.
“We also appeal to
businesses to ensure that they continue to enforce the required measures to
protect the health and safety of their employees and customers. We cannot
afford to allow COVID-fatigue to set in and must all play our part in
preventing the spread of the virus.”
