Officials had their hands full this past weekend as thousands of people descended on the Durban beachfront despite the country gripped by a fourth wave of the pandemic.
DURBAN – Officials had their hands full this past weekend as thousands of people descended on the Durban beachfront despite the country gripped by a fourth wave of the pandemic.
Durban Metro police spokesperson Parbhoo Sewpersad said thousands of people visited the Durban beachfront at the weekend. He attributed that to the heatwave in Durban.
Sewpersad said that 109 children were separated from their parents, but were reunited.
“There were a number of drownings. Some people were not complying with the rules. There were many people who were opting to swim after dark, which is not safe.”
Sewpersad said taxis were not permitted on the beach. “There is a special parking at the old Durban drive-in.”
He said there were also three drownings at the same beach.
Last week, a debate was sparked by maskless crowds at the same beach.
Professor Mosa Moshabela, the deputy vice-chancellor of research and innovation at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, told Independent Media that the beachfront had the potential to increase the risk of viral spread.
“But the situation at the beachfront is more complicated. On the one hand, we don’t expect people to get into the water with their masks on. So they should be able to take off their masks, much like the way people take off their masks in restaurants.”
The country is experiencing its fourth wave of the pandemic, with 35,189 new cases reported this weekend alone.
