Cape Town, much like other cities around the world, is suffering greatly due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
According to the most recent statistics from the country’s health department, the Western Cape comes in second, behind Gauteng, as a province with the most cases of coronavirus in South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to address the nation on Sunday evening. However, an urgent meeting with the national command council (NCC) had not concluded by the time he was due at the podium.
Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu, apologised on the president’s behalf and noted that the coronavirus update from the head of state has been moved to Monday morning.
Cape Town tourism in danger due to coronavirus
The uncertainty has frustrated South Africans who wait with bated breath on an impending national lockdown.
Businesses will also feel the pinch since the president is expected to make announcements on how the government will assist affected industries in these trying times.
In Cape Town, tourism has been grounded to a halt, with many attractions forced to shut down due to coronavirus.
Tourism is the bread and butter of Cape Town’s economy and without it, there is irreparable harm being inflicted on the province’s market.
These tourist attractions have effectively been closed/postponed
These are the Cape Town tourist attractions that are no longer open to the public:
Robben Island Museum
The museum which on a regular day, attracts 1 000 visitors, extended its suspension of all services indefinitely, stating that it will only resume operations once conditions allow for this.
“The conditions of our operations place our employees, visitors and patrons – whose health and lives are our top priority – in a vulnerable position of being potentially exposed to the virus in different ways,” the statement read.
Bo-Kaap
In response to Ramaphosa’s call for social distancing, the Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association issued a statement, effectively shutting down all scheduled tourist visits until further notice.
“As Bo-Kaap is a tourist destination we are more prone than other areas to get into contact with tourists from high-risk countries. We, therefore, place the tourism industry and government on notice that Bo-Kaap will be on lockdown and no tourists will be allowed into our area,” the organisation said in a statement.
Table Mountain Aerial Cableway
Table Mountain’s cableway company was initially closed down until after the Easter weekend.
However, as things worsen with the fight against coronavirus, it is expected that the business will remain closed until clarity is given by the president on the safety to resume operations.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens’ concert series was in its last stretch when coronavirus forced the closure of all large crowd gatherings. Consequently, the last three shows have been postponed. These are the new dates that have been announced.
- Pumeza Matshikiza and Cape Town Opera postponed from 22 March 2020 to Summer 2021 (Date TBC)
- Jeremy Loops postponed from 29 March 2020 to 29 November 2020
- Andrew Young and Don Vino postponed from 05 April 2020 to Summer 2021 (Date TBC)
Events and attractions at V&A Waterfront
The shopping mall is still fully operational with certain conditions set in place in the event of an emergency. Hand sanitisers and water-soap dispensaries have been populated all over the mall with two ER24 clinics also on site.
However, this did not prevent the cancellation of the following events:
- Galileo Cinema – Mar / Apr
- TP52 – April
- Wine Festival – April
- Take The Stage – Mar
- Busker Auditions
- Indian Classical Programme
- Human Right Day – Justice Desk
- Tall Ships Open Days
- Tattoo Convention
- I love Boobies Run
Moreover, these Cape Town attractions are no longer operational:
- The OZCF Market
- Zeitz MOCAA
- 2Oceans Aquarium
- Comedy Club
- Robben Island Gateway
- Iziko Maritime Centre