GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - School classes will be every day, not rotational, from Monday, 7 February.

This announcement was made on Monday evening, 31 January, by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Western Cape Minister of Education Debbie Schäfer and Premier Alan Winde welcomed this decision, saying it is high time for an end to the State of Disaster.

Winde said a continuation of a rotational timetable would have hurt our poorest communities the most, resulting in a generational catastrophe. "We need our children in class for as long as possible, if we are to reverse the detrimental impact that the pandemic has had on their learning." 

On the issue of mask wearing, Schäfer said there is "conflicting evidence". It was agreed that the matter will be processed through the Council of Education Ministers for recommendations and consideration.

Goodbye fourth wave

We have already exited the fourth wave, said Nadia Ferreira, district spokesperson of the Western Cape Department of Health. "This means we record less than 600 new cases daily." 

The total number of positive patients for the district is currently 79 808. There has been a 33% decrease in the total number of new cases in the last seven days compared to 7 to 14 days ago. We currently have 875 active cases.

Masks

Asked about the wearing of masks, Ferreira said masks are still important to prevent you from contracting or spreading Covid-19.

"New regulations will be announced by national [government] and implemented at provincial level. We remind the public that vaccination is still the best weapon against Covid-19. You can reduce your chances of getting seriously ill by getting your vaccination. Those who have already been vaccinated are reminded of their 'booster' which is two months after your first J&J and six months after your last Pfizer vaccination."

'We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news'