PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The cancellation of the Plett Rage student festival has become somewhat of a double-edged sword.

A massive debate is raging about whether the decision would have the desired effect of reducing the spread of Covid-19 or actually putting young revellers at a bigger risk of contracting the virus.

As a result of rising numbers of Covid-19 cases around the country, Plett Rage organisers announced on the eve of the event, which was scheduled to start last Friday, that the event had been cancelled.

"The alarming number of positive cases being reported to us by our customers from their hometowns, due to them being required to take the mandatory PCR test before making their way to Plettenberg Bay, has shaken us to our core," they said in a statement. 

"Almost all schools set to attend Plett Rage have positive cases. Based on the trajectory of this virus, this is only a tiny percentage of what we are now certain will show up. The numbers are only going to increase rapidly."

Reasons

They explained that although they had implemented the most stringent Covid-19 preventative measures, which included proof of vaccination and a negative PCR, there was no way to pre-empt "the devastation that the current surge of Covid-19 cases would cause nationally."

The system they put in place for pre- and on-site testing was their safety net to know what was happening prior to opening.

"To those who tested positive, thank you for letting us know; please immediately isolate and contact trace; we hope your symptoms are low and wish you a quick and speedy recovery," they said.

"With the information that we have and after consultation with our partners in Plettenberg Bay and Provincial Health, we are forced to cancel #PlettRage2021. We are shattered. Our event site is built, all staff are ready to welcome you with open arms after months of not working. Our doors are ready to open but will sadly stay shut."

They said the situation was entirely unimaginable, but had no doubt that it was the right decision.

Worse, not better

For some students, parents and organisers this however does not seem like the right decision. A snap survey among youngsters in Plettenberg Bay revealed that many had already made their way down to the coastal holiday town and were adamant to let their hair down following a challenging year marred by Covid-19.

Students like Gabi van Schoor, from a private school in Knysna, said that many students had already arrived in Plett before the cancellation announcement, paid for accommodation, budgeted for food and other expenses, had their vaccinations and paid for a PCR.

It therefore did not make sense to return home. Judging by the queues at local night clubs and house parties being held around Plett, this seems to have been the sentiment of most festivalgoers.

"The thing is with an event like Plett Rage, everything is controlled. You know that you would have been spending time with people who had tested negative for Covid-19 and had their vaccinations. There would have been strict entry controls, sanitising and other protocols. Now that it has been cancelled none of this is certain," Van Schoor said.

She added that from her experience over the past week, very few protocols were being followed at local establishments and those who did resulted in queuing for hours with little to no social distancing.

Major shareholder and one of the founders of the Balito and Plett Rage festivals, Greg Walsh, shares the sentiment and said in a statement that the cancellation had made them complicit in making the situation worse.

He attributed the cancellation to the pressure caused by hysteria created by the media around the event and the pandemic. 

While more than 30 people tested positive during the run-up to the Balito Rage, Walsh said that these staff members and guests tested positive before the event - as a result of preventative measures built into the event. They were then not allowed to attend.

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