SINCE the beginning of lockdown, shopping malls, plazas and centres have been flooded with shoppers.
The situation is worse when it’s month end as people want to buy essentials.
In most places lockdown regulations have not been followed, risking the spread of Covid-19.
It’s because of this that the Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism Department has flagged these places as red zones.
This means this places require urgent attention in terms of compliance to Covid-19 regulations, as the province will be entering level three of lockdown next week.
The department said these places may provide the perfect ground for the virus to spread quicker, as many shoppers didn’t practise social distancing or wear masks.
Department spokesman Zaid Kalla said to strengthen the fight against the virus, shopping areas would have to establish Covid-19 regulation compliance plans that will then serve as monitoring tools to guide the assessment of compliance.
“This worrying factor of public congestion in these areas has a great potential of aiding the unwanted and feared increase in new Covid-19 infections,” he said.
Kalla told Daily Sun the provincial government would introduce monitoring and compliance teams in charge of regular physical monitoring within all the districts.
“Among the many measures introduced in shopping areas and various trading facilities, the department encourages disinfection of money through UV-light, managing the number of people as well as alternative use of other shopping platforms,” said Kalla.
He said following their engagements with malls, plazas and centre owners, they were confident the health and well-being of shoppers would be prioritised, and such results would go a long way in minimising the rate of new infections in the province.
