KNYSNA | BITOU NEWS - Knysna and Bitou's Covid-19 figures have remained stable in the trough with Knysna at its lowest point since 8 May 2020 and with both sub-districts only reporting single-digit new case numbers this past week.

But the Easter weekend is packed with potential super-spreader events, so it is advisable to wash your hands, wear your masks and keep your social distance.

In the build-up to the long weekend, fears began to mount that President Cyril Ramaphosa would reintroduce a harder lockdown for the country over Easter. Thankfully, this was not the case, as on Wednesday 30 March he announced SA would remain on Level 1 lockdown, with adjustments to the protocols.

One of these was that the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption will be prohibited on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 2 to 5 April, while on-site sales at restaurants, shebeens and bars will be allowed, according to licensing conditions, up until 23:00.

Further, inter-provincial travel will remain permitted, and the curfew will stay in place from 00:00 to 04:00. Ramaphosa did however caution South Africans to travel safely and sparsely over the Easter weekend. 

"I urge all South Africans to limit their travel as much as possible and to observe all the necessary health protocols if they cannot avoid travelling," he said during his address on Wednesday. He further said that, for the past two weeks, the number of daily new cases in the country has remained relatively stable at about 1 200 new cases per day.

This trend is similar to what has been seen in Knysna and Bitou over the past month. Knysna has not exceeded 25 active cases since 17 February, while Bitou has not exceeded 10 active cases since 10 February, and had no recorded active cases on Wednesday 17 March. The stable, and slightly decreasing numbers in the two sub-districts continued further this week.

As of Wednesday 31 March, Knysna had recorded a total of 4 788 cases of Covid-19, with 4 615 having recovered, 162 having died, and 11 active cases. This represents a measly five new cases in Knysna this week, the lowest number since 8 May 2020 when there was still only a total of 17 cases in Knysna. There was sadly one new death this week, with the active cases decreasing from 13 to 11. Knysna's recovery rate has increased by 0,03%, now standing at 96,39%, while the mortality rate remains at 3,4% for the third week in a row.

In Bitou, a total of 2 733 cases of Covid-19 has been recorded, with 2 621 recovered cases, 107 deaths, and five active cases. These numbers indicate that Bitou has recorded seven new cases this past week, which is both the joint second-lowest this year and joint third-lowest since 19 June 2020 when a total of only 22 cases had been recorded in Bitou.

The number of deaths has remained the same for the third consecutive week, while the number of active cases is the same as last week and joint third-lowest this year. Bitou's recovery rate is up by 0,01% to now stand on 95,90%, while the mortality remains at 3,9% for the fifth consecutive week. 

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