(image by Alex Bracken)

The Hospital Association of South Africa strongly believes that recent lessons learned from large events should be sufficient to persuade organisers of other potential super spreader gatherings to cancel.

Given the extensive precautionary actions taken to prevent the spread of the virus at the Ballito and Plettenberg Rage events – both now cancelled – including mandatory vaccinations for all staff and guests and pre-arrival Covid-19 tests for all guests, as well as staff testing before the event, all of which returned negative results, the fact that the virus nevertheless spread should be instructive.

“We are sympathetic to the disappointment any such cancellations would have to people, in the case of the Rage events to matriculants who have been through an extremely difficult last two years. We are also sympathetic to the potential for revenue loss for businesses. However, infections are spiking and the positivity rate among tests indicates an imminent fourth wave. If the infection continues to spread, hardship will again come upon the most marginal in our society, our vulnerable will again be at risk, a lockdown may again become necessary, and our recovery from the pandemic will be further delayed,” said spokesman Mark Peach.

Peach added, “Vaccine mandates, while necessary and a step we believe the country should take, are only as strong as our observation of them. For us, this is the key learning from the Rage event in Ballito. It is simply better that no super spreader events are allowed to take place.”