The tourism industry views the government’s efforts to vaccinate 67% of adult South Africans by December as an important point in reopening international travel to the country, said Sthembiso Dlamini, executive director of South African Tourism.
Dlamini said radio station 702 that international travelers are much more likely to travel to a country where a high proportion of the population is vaccinated. She added that countries with hypothetical “herd immunity” are far more likely to see a surge in tourism.
“We all look at the 67% of the adult population that increased by December. I think this will be a big confidence boost for international destinations. ”The reality is that vaccinations are playing a huge role in the recovery of the sector, she said.
“It’s frustrating to hear fake news about what the vaccine can and can’t do. I would encourage people to leave it to the professionals, but also to go and get vaccinated. “
Health Minister Dr. Joe Phaahla said Friday (September 10) that South Africa would need to reach an additional 18 million more adults to achieve 70% coverage of the adult population by December.
In a national address on Sunday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that over a quarter of all adult South Africans have received at least one dose of vaccine and more than seven million people are fully vaccinated.
“In the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Western Cape, more than one in five adults is now fully vaccinated. The total number of vaccine doses administered in the country is now 14.6 million doses, ”he said.
“We now give a million doses every four to five days. The government has secured enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire adult population and the supply of vaccines is no longer a restriction. “
However, Ramaphosa said the country still needs to do a lot more to meet its vaccination goals.
“While anyone over the age of 18 can be vaccinated, we are focusing our efforts and resources on people over the age of 60 and those with comorbidities. So far, over 57% of people over 60 have been vaccinated. It’s a great achievement, but we have to achieve them all.
“We find that more women than men get vaccinated against Covid-19. Although the numbers are improving, men are still slow to come in to get vaccinated. “
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