KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna deputy mayor Aubrey Tsengwa has commended the people of Knysna for listening to the president Cyril Ramaphosa's call to stay at home during the national lockdown.
In a telephonic interview on Friday 3 April, Tsengwa said he took a drive around Knysna last week to see how people are behaving.
"I was so impressed and I would like to take this time to congratulate those who listened to the president's call to stay at home, wear masks and practise social distancing so that they are not added to the statistics of those infected by the coronavirus," he said.
"Some had to go to town to buy groceries while others had to go to the chemist to buy medicine, but 90% of our people listened to the call. I also went to our northern areas and I am impressed with how the people obeyed the law," he said.
When it comes to transport issues, Tsengwa said: "We must understand that in order to have people out of the town, we need public transport that will be working all day. There were complaints from people and we managed to sit with the taxi association and the people so that we could resolve those issues." So far, he said, local businesses selling non-essential goods have listened to the call, but he noted that people are scared they might lose their jobs. "Our people understand the seriousness of the virus and all our bars and taverns have closed and that is a good thing. There are those who want alcohol and are calling for bottle stores to be opened but that won't happen," he said.
Tsengwa also reminded the residents of poorer areas that some people don't have medical aids and if the number of infected people increases and leads to hospitals being full they will not be able to get proper healthcare.
"That can lead to an increase in the number of deaths. I call on all Knysna residents to continue what they did since the announcement of the lockdown. They must relax but use all the protective measures they know of. Listen and stay at home so that we can all be safe from the virus," urged Tsengwa.
He also thanked the essential and emergency services personnel who have been working "non-stop" since the announcement of the virus. "They have sacrificed their time with families to make sure our lives are safe. I would like to encourage them to continue doing the great job for the benefit of their country," he said.
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