Beaches and public parks in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province will be closed on what are traditionally the busiest days of the season as part of efforts to curb Covid-19 transmissions.

In a national address on Monday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said tourists and holidaymakers flocking to public beaches remain one of the greatest challenges to fighting the virus, with South Africa now well into its second wave of the pandemic.

“We have undertaken extensive consultations on this issue so that we can find an approach that reduces the risk of large-scale transmission while limiting the impact on businesses and coastal areas,” he said.

Beaches and public parks across KZN will be closed on December 16, a public holiday to commemorate Reconciliation Day, as well as Christmas and Boxing Days. The closures will also apply on December 31 as well as January 1-3.

Ramaphosa warned that compliance would be monitored daily.

His address came as no surprise after pictures of the Durban beach front over the weekend went viral on social media, showing that most people were disregarding Covid-19 regulations such as practising physical distancing and wearing face masks in public.

In Cape Town, authorities have been driving around in vehicles with loud speakers, telling people to put on their masks and sanitise their hands.

South Africa recorded 175 new Covid-19 deaths as of Monday, bringing the national death toll to date, to 23,451.

Taking into consideration the level at which case numbers have risen over the last two weeks, Ramaphosa warned that if the country did not act “urgently” the second wave of infections could be more severe than the first.

“Unless we do things differently, this will be the last Christmas for many South Africans,” he said.