Since the start of the lockdown thousands of masks donated by the clothing brand Polo South Africa to the city have been distributed in Atlantis, according to Mayor of Cape Town Dan Plato.
Plato and Mayco Member for Health Zahid Badroodien visited the local factory on Wednesday 13 May. “We have focused our distributions on communities that need it most,” Plato said.
He said the City will continue to do this in an effort to flatten the Covid-19 infection curve, and 5 000 masks were handed over for Atlantis. Wearing a mask in public is an effective way to limit the spread of the virus, Plato added, and that the City is grateful for continued support from the private sector.
With the assistance of Polo SA and the Design Indaba, 130 000 reusable cloth masks have been distributed to the most vulnerable communities. The rest of the masks were sent to front-line staff, such as Law Enforcement, Disaster Risk Management and Transport officials. “I am thankful for the donation, which is helping us protect our residents and officials,” says Badroodien.
“In this hour of need, we as a company care about the well-being of our fellow South Africans and our pledge of 250 000 masks is our contribution,” said AK Peer, Polo South Africa Chairman.
He thanked his staff for responding positively to the challenge and also thanked the Mayor, Badroodien and their teams for the swift distribution of the masks. “They are washable, reusable, durable and are an important tool to curb infection,” Peer said.
Plato said on Saturday 16 May the City had boosted testing and education on Covid-19, to recognise the symptoms and take proactive steps to limit its spread. Plato and James Vos, Mayco Member for Economic Development visited Atlantis and assisted councillors with the hand-out of the Polo masks.
The Mayor said the national lockdown, which came into effect on 27 March, had compelled the City to adapt to new ways of protecting health and safety. He said: “Please keep following the regulations by wearing a mask when leaving home, washing your hands regularly, practising social distancing and not touching your face. We all have a responsibility to help limit the spread of Covid-19.”
