'Massive sigh of relief' as Garden Route spared from tighter Covid-19 rules

The Garden Route town of Knysna is getting ready to welcome visitors for the holiday tourism season after it was spared from a stricter lockdown.

Blake Linder, a journalist for the Knysna-Plett Herald, says Garden Route residents have breathed a collective sigh of relief after President Cyril Ramaphosa's address on Thursday.

Despite a Covid-19 resurgence along the Garden Route, Ramaphosa opted not to implement tougher lockdown regulations for the popular Western Cape tourism destination.

RELATED: Ramaphosa: Stricter rules for NMB hotspot, Garden Route to be assessed

The Knysna Municipality issued a statement earlier this week announcing that the resort town is ready for the summer season, Linder reports.

"The area is expecting an influx of domestic visitors this year, as South Africans look forward to traveling to the coast after spending months under national lockdown", Knysna mayor Elrick van Aswegen said in a statement.

“We all deserve to let off some steam this season, but we must do so safely,” he concluded.

RELATED: 'Holidaymakers will take Covid-19 home with them from W Cape and E Cape'

It's a massive sigh of relief because [tighter hotspot restrictions] would have had a ripple effect on the town's tourism economy.

Blake Linder, Journalist - Knysna-Plett Herald

Going forward, in the next couple of months, tourism is going to play a very big role in the town's economic resurgence.

Blake Linder, Journalist - Knysna-Plett Herald

There is a general understanding among the majority of the [Garden Route] population about the severity and the seriousness of the pandemic.

Blake Linder, Journalist - Knysna-Plett Herald

Listen to the discussion on The Midday Report with Lester Kiewit:

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