WESTERN CAPE NEWS - The Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier says in a statement today, Thursday 30 April, they will be motivating for a bigger sector of the economy to open under the Level 4 lockdown than announced by national government this week.
They would like to sea the export of products such as yachts and boats, engine parts, plants and herbal products and any other products deemed essential in another country to be added to the list allowed under exports.
Furthermore also that the following be allowed:
* Manufacturing to operate at 50% capacity where it is safe to do
* The construction industry to be fully opened, especially where there is minimal labour and more use of capital equipment
* e-Commerce to open fully
* Certain speciality businesses, like nurseries and bakeries, to open for trade
* The film industry to operate utilising local labour and inputs
The minister referred to the the release on Wednesday 29 April of the Covid-19 Risk Adjusted Strategy regulations by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Cooperative Affairs (COGTA), which will allow for the start of the opening up of our economy following the last five weeks of hard lockdown across South Africa.
"We are pleased to see that a number of the suggestions that we submitted on Monday 27 April to COGTA have been included in the final version of the regulations that were released. These include allowing exports of wine and agro-processed goods, permitting hardware stores to open for the general public and not just for emergency traders, and permitting the BPO sector to serve a wider market, including the international market," said Maynier.
"However, we believe that there are still critical aspects which require further clarity and which should still be included under the Alert Level 4 regulations. We are encouraged that Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel is committed to further enagagement on the regulations having stated last night that they will be giving some of the proposals further thought, including engaging with representative organisations.
"So we will continue to engage actively with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition to push for additional amendments in the regulations."
He said if done responsibly, the economy in the Western Cape can open up while preventing the spread of Covid-19. "We are committed to supporting business in the Western Cape through this crisis. That is why we are finalising a set of health guidelines for business informed by the Department of Health.
"We are also actively working to unpack the regulations so that we can help to advise businesses if they are permitted to operate under Level 4. And finally, we will be providing guidance to businesses on what to do if a staff member displays symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19."
For support and advice on the Alert Level 4 regulations, and what this means for your business please email supportbusiness@wesgro.co.za or visit the website.
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