Guests to Addo Elephant National Park outside Port Elizabeth will no longer be able to braai or picnic in the Park as from tomorrow (Wednesday 16 December 2020). This follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s latest call last night (Monday 14 December 2020) to help curb the resurgence of COVID-19. This particularly in areas identified as hot spots such as Nelson Mandela Bay, which borders the Park.
This specifically applies to the ever-popular Jack’s Picnic Site inside the game viewing area and the picnic area at the Main Camp. The ablution blocks at Jack’s will remain open.
In addition, open safari vehicles for game-viewing will only load 50 percent of the allowed capacity. These measures will prevail from the 16th December 2020 to the 15th January 2021.
Last week the country’s body charged with the management of national parks, South African National Parks (SANParks) called for shared responsibility in exercising responsible travelling and behaviour in the midst of an increase in COVID-19 cases in areas where some of its national parks are situated.
This according to SANParks Acting Head of Communications, Rey Thakhuli who said SANParks will continue to implement stringent protocols in all its national parks including those in identified hotspots and those likely to be potential hotspots.
He indicated that the organisation is currently seeing a lot of uncertainty and anxiety in particular concerning travelling in the identified hot spots with some cancellations already effected by guests for bookings in Addo Elephant and the Garden Route National Parks starting from 16 December 2020 to 15 January 2021.“Despite the negative effect brought by these cancellations, SANParks welcomes the move by guests and would accept more voluntary cancellation as a means of helping to manage lower occupancy levels and curb the spread of COVID-19 especially in those parks that are situated within the Eastern and Western Cape.”
Thakhuli said to ensure that occupancy remains low during this difficult times, SANParks has also taken a decision not to take new bookings if cancellations are realised for Addo Elephant and Garden Route National Parks (Tsitsikamma, Knysna and Wilderness) …“and should travellers elect to cancel or postpone their bookings to a later date for these specific areas, SANParks will not charge fees or penalise cancellations, amendments and postponements for a 12 month period from the departure date of an existing booking in those areas.
He emphasised that cancellations, amendments and postponements for bookings in all other national parks will carry penalties as per the SANParks Reservations Policy.
He added that ablution blocks and areas frequented by guests will be disinfected often, sanitizing stations will be made available and travellers are also encouraged to double the efforts by utilising their own sanitizers. Parents are encouraged to monitor the movement of their children at all times.
Further measures to be introduced in the parks in the Eastern and Western Cape include a total ban on the transport or consumption of all alcoholic beverages for day visitors within the parks, the introduction of day visitor quotas and closure of some public areas – these include some picnic sites, day visit attractions and some beaches managed by SANParks.
Alan Straton
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