With a 196% increase in Covid-19 cases in the Garden Route in recent weeks, GO GEORGE is making an urgent appeal to bus passengers to adhere to the Covid-19 safety regulations regarding public transport and not to drop their guard at this stage.
Garden Route District Director for Health, Zee Brickles, issued a statement last week announcing the rise in infections, cautioning about a possible second wave.
“It has been seven long months of lockdown and the natural reaction to the easing up of these restrictions are to catch up on all that we have missed out on over the past months but we can’t become complacent now. It has always been feared that when the lockdown restrictions ease up, the infection rate would increase,” Brickles said.
No mask, no entry
According to James Robb, GO GEORGE Manager, the relaxed vigilance of bus passengers has also been noticeable ever since Level 1 of the lockdown had been announced. “Passengers either attempt to board the bus without masks, or they take them off once they’re seated. Very few wear the mask over their mouth as well as nose, which is crucial for effective protection,” he said. “We appeal to them to act responsibly, for their own sake as well as that of co-passengers and bus drivers. A passenger without a mask will not be allowed on a GO GEORGE bus and should not reason with our bus drivers about that.”
GO GEORGE has embarked on a campaign to encourage passengers to remain alert and to get their cooperation in keeping to the basic safety measures, emphasising the wearing of a mask in a proper way, sanitising and washing hands, keeping a safe distance, keeping the bus windows open and not travelling on the bus unnecessarily or when sick, and coughing or sneezing into a bent elbow.
GO GEORGE passenger service staff are engaging with passengers at bus stops, the Transport Hub and on the buses to remind them of the importance of continued adherence to the safety measures. Supportive media campaigns have also been employed to enhance the message: The pandemic is not over yet – stay vigilant!
