Johannesburg – The Gauteng General Practitioners Collaboration has sent out a letter to the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa saying they should not send their children to the popular end-of-year Matric Rage Festival.
They said that even though the festival promised to adhere to protocols of mask wearing, limited numbers and social distancing last year – in reality, this was impossible to enforce.
“The Festival turned out to be a massive driver of the second wave and the start of a disastrous holiday period for all South Africans. We are concerned about a repeat this year. Many matriculants are still 17 until near the end of the year and won’t have time to be fully vaccinated. Just like “Fake IDs” are common in this age group, fake vaccine passports are a genuine concern. It would take just a couple of infected revellers to cause a super spreader event in this context, reads the statement.
The GGPC said that as family doctors in Gauteng, they have been getting enquiries from parents asking: “Should we let our children go to Matric Rage 2021?”
“We empathise with parents who wish for their children to have a ‘normal’ end-of-year experience after such a very difficult couple of years, and we recognise the importance of our childrens’ social and emotional health, but it is our professional opinion that the only sensible and responsible answer to that question is “No”. The third wave of SARS Cov-2 infections has not yet receded, and a fourth wave is strongly predicted for November, with a new and more dangerous or more contagious variant being a possibility,” reads the letter.
There are only four months left until December. Four months left until the average worker bee unbuttons his shirt and lets loose. Only four months until matriculants dust off their dancing shoes and start boogying into the wee hours of
The Plett Rage recently announced that they would enforce a “no vax, no entry” policy coupled with a negative PCR test, proof of vaccination and an additional test before they enter the venue. They also said that each day of the event after safety precautions Plett Rage would be implemented to ensure the safety of festival-goers.
Balito Rage also announced that they would be hosting their event between November 30 and December 5, also observing relevant safety precautions and government protocols.
GGPC said, however good the intentions of the organisers are, a large gathering like this, run over a few days, and consisting of excited teens is the ideal environment for a super spreader event.
“We ask you, as school principals, to make this view known amongst your school community, in an attempt to influence a safer and more responsible approach to celebrating the end of school 2021.”
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