Maroela Media reports that Solidarity Movement, including Solidarity and AfriForum, declared on Tuesday that no further reasons existed for the current state of disaster to remain in force.

This came after the state of disaster was extended again by the government. According to Solidarity Movement chairperson Flip Buys, the pandemic was now seemingly entering an endemic phase. Furthermore, increased group immunity against Covid-19 could now be detected with the Omicron variant, resulting in less serious illness and fewer deaths. “The fact that the virus is now endemic means the virus won’t disappear, but we will have to learn to live with the virus. It also means that exceptional measures by the state, such as those that can be instituted under a state of disaster, are no longer necessary in an effort to control the virus,” Buys said. He indicated that the Movement was also very concerned about the state of schools in SA as the restrictions were hampering education. According to Solidarity CEO Dr Dirk Hermann, the current state of disaster created major uncertainty for workers, companies and the economy in general, and it must therefore be terminated. “The state of disaster enables government to implement at short notice measures that affect the livelihood of businesses and workers. This sword hanging over the economy creates uncertainty that hampers capital formation and further expansion at a time when economic growth is crucially important,” Hermann stated. Both AfriForum and Solidarity will now proceed with legal action in order to ask the courts to end the state of disaster.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard in Afrikaans at Maroela Media

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