Following the announcement that beaches in the Eastern Cape and the Garden Route are to be closed effective from the 16th of December until 3rd January, there are some burning questions that have been coming up over and over again.
Here are some first-hand experiences with regards to the Gonubie situation:
Can we surf?
Probably not but it was never mentioned whether it was excluded unlike previous lockdowns, so at the time of writing, there is no real clarity here... based on the broad instructions to close beaches we are going to assume NO, you cannot surf.
Hit us up in the comments if you know anything legit regarding the surfing situation.
What is considered a beach?
Nobody knows... between the high tide and low tide mark apparently... SAPS reckon the car-park is the beach too, so let's rather move on to the recent panic buying of Fishing Permits...
Can a fishing permit allow me onto the beach?
There is colossal confusion here.
Some believed this to be a loophole and non-fishermen bought permits for their entire families and friends during the day on Thursday.
According to Gonubie SAPS, the normal annual fishing permit isn't going to get you a free pass onto the beach and rocks. Fishing with this permit is not allowed. You need to have a commercial license... This is for the people who rely on fishing for a living.
Perhaps more clarity on this is needed but the above is the response from local SAPS. You will be removed from the beach without the proper commercial license and these cannot be obtained as easily as an annual fishing permit.
Hit us up in the comments if you know anything more about this?
Conclusion
There is no doubt that some of us will politely push the boundaries for a surf or an early morning walk on the beach.
Each adult has the capability to decide how to react in situations like this... "You do you and I will do me" as the saying goes.
There is clear evidence in East London of an increase in infections. COVID is very much real and thoughts and sympathy go out to all those who have lost loved ones. Please always follow health protocol. Wear your mask, sanitize and if you can help it, avoid social gatherings until we make progress in lessening the spread! Please.
Try Stay Salty but mostly Stay Sane until we can have our vitamin SEA back!