South Africa’s borders are open to a number of international travellers and the award-winning and very popular bucket-list destination, Cape Town, is ready to welcome all guests with open arms – as soon as countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, United States and Brazil emerge from surging Covid infection rates.
With a successful rollout of the first dose of the vaccine to over four million people in the UK, the Cape Town tourism industry is sure that many friends and family in the region will be itching to visit Cape Town and have much-needed time away.
The first thing to know before you visit Cape Town and South Africa is that, yes, there was a new variant detected in South Africa, much like in the UK, but it is not a new strain.
“A new strain would cause much bigger concern around all the hard work that has been achieved up until now,” Professor Ian Sanne, a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 said to the media recently. “A new strain would mean that we would have to go back to zero in terms of all the progress we have made.”
This is a variant and it has some genetic changes, and it represents viral evolution – something that is quite common for viruses to do.
This particular variant in South Africa is the 501.V2 Variant, and was first detected in South Africa after a rapid increase in local cases, prompting our scientists to look at the genetic sequencing. In the UK they have detected a similar new variant, which they assessed based on the advice given by South Africa after the discovery of the 501.V2 Variant. South Africa has been ahead of the game when it comes to catching and monitoring the mutations of the virus and the government has therefore taken active steps in making sure that there are effective measures in place to help curb the spread of the virus.
In his recent national address, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, noted that while the new variant is more infectious, the symptoms it causes are not different or worse. Further, infection from the new variant can be prevented in the same way: by wearing masks, adhering to social distancing guidelines, and washing and sanitising hands as often as possible.
“We understand that there is major concern around the new COVID-19 variant that has been found in South Africa, however we are worried that the media label the 501.V2 variant as the South African variant, as this negative connotation has unintended consequences for our country. We need to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past: similar to the so-called ‘Spanish Flu’, which did not actually originate in Spain, the disease was unfairly associated with Spain during a destructive and tragic time for humanity,” says Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism.
“We would, however, like to give potential visitors the utmost assurance that as an industry we have been working tirelessly to ensure tourism establishments are implementing the most stringent COVID-19 prevention measures. We take our cue from medical and health experts and we are doing all we can to ensure that businesses and establishments are ready to very safely welcome visitors. Our industry is one that, even pre-COVID-19, has been guided by strict health and safety protocols. Based on the advice of medical teams around the world, we have seen businesses upgrade their already strict measures to ensure that they are aligned with the advice as set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO). We have also been approved as a user of the globally recognised World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) safety stamp. This again highlights that as a destination, we are serious about being a safe destination for travelers and that we are ready to cautiously but warmly welcome visitors back again.” added Duminy.
The City of Cape Town and Cape Town Tourism have been using these past few months to ensure community and business readiness for when tourism starts to pick up again. They have also come out against anyone flouting the rules and regulations as set out by the country’s President and his team of advisors.
“As a City, we support businesses, residents and visitors to comply with the Covid-19 rules and regulations. We established a Tourism Task Team to help the tourism and hospitality sector through these difficult times. The task team assists in identifying ways to modify current business processes to remain relevant. We created and distributed thousands of SMME COVID-19 Toolkits, filled with the essentials to help businesses combat the spread of COVID-19 and to keep visitors and staff safe. We are continually evolving to drive the various stages of recovery and readiness to stimulate supply and demand for specific key source markets. We are committed to creating a safe destination and look forward to welcoming visitors back to Cape Town” notes Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, including tourism, at the City of Cape Town.
For their part, the Cape Town tourism industry has taken safety incredibly seriously. Restaurants have changed seating plans, hotels have adapted to serve food in an entirely different way and gone are the days of congested queues at tourist attractions. In fact, many establishments have taken the opportunity to shake up their menus, elevate their outdoor offerings, upgrade certain facilities, and also focussed on a digital approach which limits one-on-one contact. Visitors can therefore benefit not only from slick amenities, but also a holiday without the crowds.
“We would like to reassure the world that the entire value chain of tourism in South Africa has done very well in implementing protocols to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. As the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) we have put together health and safety protocols to ensure the safety of citizens and tourists. Our protocols and tools continue to prove successful, regardless of the variant of COVID-19.” says Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of TBCSA.
Tshivhengwa added that South Africa continues to welcome tourists for a truly South African experience.
For anyone wishing to travel to South Africa anytime soon, know that you are required to produce a valid certificate of a negative test which was obtained not more than 72 hours before the date of travel. In the event of the traveller’s failure to submit a certificate as proof of a negative test, the traveller will be required to do an antigen test on arrival at their own costs; and in the event of a traveller testing positive for COVID-19, they will be required to quarantine themselves at their own cost. Presently, international travellers are only able to access the country via Cape Town International Airport, OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, and King Shaka International Airport in Durban.
Whether you’re travelling just up the road or to Cape Town, South Africa, it’s clear that no matter where you go, the best thing to do is to continue to wear your mask and follow the other COVID-19 prevention advice from the WHO.