Johannesburg - Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) has started the reopening of nature reserves that have adequate access-control measures in place under the Disaster Management Act.
Parks, however, remain closed. The Joburg Zoo, The Wilds and the Botanical Gardens in Emmarentia have remained open. This is to enable residents to take advantage of the value derived from nature, in reducing undue anxiety and stress, relative to the pandemic.
Nature reserves in Kloofendal, Klipriviersberg, Northcliff, Rietfontein and the Beaulieu Bird Sanctuary, were reopened on January 18.
Melville Koppies will accommodate visitors through a prebooking process. The facilities in the heart of Joburg, provide panoramic views and a much needed escape for outdoor enthusiasts seeking a day-hike or walk. Entrance numbers may be limited; no groups will be allowed unless with members of the same household.
Margaret Arnolds, the member of the mayoral committee of community development in the City of Joburg, conducted a site visit at The Wilds on January 16 to assess compliance standards.
She said: “I am satisfied with the access-control measures in place and I am pleased to see so many visitors who have adhered to the call, to visit in small numbers; retain a safe distance and who wear a mask.”
Arnolds however, cautioned: “The onus is on parents to closely supervise young children and for visitors to act responsibly by staying home if they are unwell, have come in recent contact with a person who has Covid-19, are supposed to be in isolation or if they encounter large groups queuing at the entrance”.
JCPZ advised that the delay in the simultaneous reopening of all reserves was as a result of a staff member testing positive. This has led to the quarantine of the team and thereby affected City Parks’ ability to have adequate staff in place, to manage access control within its flagship nature reserves. Staff in isolation have since been screened and have returned to their work stations.
While nature reserves open, all parks in the city will remain closed. This is relative to most parks that has no single-entry point to control access or monitor users. A growing concern are unfenced parks which continue to be used, especially by children who do not understand the gravity of becoming infected and the associated impacts of taking the virus home to a family member who is vulnerable to the disease.
The Disaster Management Act calls for penalties to be imposed, bearing in mind that these are the only spaces for many children living in high-density areas, with limited indoor space and who will return to school only next month.
The Johannesburg Botanical Gardens will be open from 9am to 6pm with public access at the gates opposite Roosevelt Park High School and another gate along Olifants Road.
The Star