Cape Town puzzled over easing of its coronavirus crisis

The coronavirus crisis in Cape Town, South Africa’s main tourist hub, appears to be easing and the authorities don’t know why.

A slowdown in new infections and deaths in most other global virus hotspots has coincided with the imposition of lockdowns. But in Cape Town and much of the surrounding Western Cape province, new cases and fatalities plateaued in late June and have recently shown a small decline, even though most businesses have reopened.

The trajectory of the disease “has got many people puzzled,” said Keith Cloete, a doctor who heads the Western Cape’s Department of Health, in a briefing Wednesday. One theory is that pleas to adhere to social distancing and wear masks are increasingly being heeded, he said.

The Western Cape was the first province to be badly hit by the virus, accounting for almost 70% of South Africa’s cases in May. Now that infections are surging in the east of the country — especially in the economic hub Gauteng — that ratio has declined to 20.2%. The country had 459 761 cases as of Wednesday, the most in Africa.

Intensive-care admissions are at 270, down from a peak of 340, according to a daily advisory from the provincial health department. Spare capacity in hospitals and a decreased demand for tests is also seen as an indicator of a potential decline of infections.

As authorities search for answers, Cloete warned that there is no room for complacency.

“At any given time, we can have a rebound in cases,” he said.

© 2020 Bloomberg