No beaches or drinks: as it is the main tourist spot in South Africa during Covid

(CNN) – With its vast mountain ranges, sandy beaches and imposing forests, Cape Town is a place where the natural world dominates, begging visitors to stop and immerse themselves in everything.

The southernmost city in Africa has an unofficial motto: “Go slower, it’s Cape Town”. But those words took on new meaning during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Reclaiming the city

Instead of the usual crowd of foreigners in khaki shorts and delicate sandals that throng Camps Bay and Table Mountain, the only tourists arriving are South Africans who live abroad and are in danger of returning home.

I was one of those Capetoneses with homesickness rediscovering my city during the holidays.

On a night flight from Paris in December, I had a row of seats just for me and two tightly fitting masks. Upon arrival, the team checked my temperature and my actual ticket to the country – a negative PCR test.

Traveling from Europe to South Africa for a second dose of sunshine at the end of the year has always been a delight.

The festive season falls during the height of summer in South Africa, and the city is filled with light and laughter.

Schools are away from home for the holidays, families gather for braais – South Africans for barbecues – in backyards and everyone starts to relax and shrug their shoulders outside the year.

Everything is alive and well, the only reminders of the pandemic are masked citizens, endless spurts of disinfectants and temperature checks and a 9 pm curfew.

Before the New Year festivities, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held what he likes to call a “family reunion”, in which it announced the closure of many beaches in the country and a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol.

Bars and restaurants adjusted quickly, offering non-alcoholic beers and mocktails, and a Prohibition-style black market emerged when residents started selling their drink to the highest bidder.

Subdued atmosphere

But the new restrictions did not discourage the spirit of the city. Residents simply adjusted, with many choosing to spend more time outdoors, exploring the mountain playground at their doorstep.

South African Lara Kerswill, who returned home from London on vacation, said she found the atmosphere somewhat subdued.

“Usually December has such good energy – everyone has spent the year and is looking forward to having fun,” she told CNN.

“The sun is high, you are going from one plane to the next, reaching friends you haven’t seen in a while, meeting new people.

“This year looks very quiet. Things have to be pre-arranged and pre-checked to make sure everyone is healthy and comfortable. And yet plans must change at the last moment because of someone’s isolation requirements or new ones. guidelines. ”

This time, Kerswill exchanged parties, festivals and bustling restaurants for walks, hikes and swimming.

But the realities of life during the pandemic are hard to ignore, even during an apparently simple activity, such as visiting the popular tidal pool off the coast of False Bay.

“We were getting ready to jump … take off your shoes, take off your shorts,” says Kerswill. “So we were standing in bathing suits and wearing our masks, not knowing when the most appropriate time is to remove them.”

‘Everyone feels safer outdoors’

For Joi Benjamin, a South African currently living in Paris, returning home was also an opportunity to finally be able to spend time outdoors.

“Coming from a closed, wintery Paris, I really appreciate the sea breeze, the parks and the mountains so close together,” says Benjamin.

“The pandemic makes me appreciate it much more than ever.”

Sarah Carden, another South African returning home from the UK, was happy to still be able to do all the things she likes when she visits the city.

“I love cycling, so I went down the coast a few times on my bike and the roads are full of cyclists and walkers,” she told CNN. “I think everyone feels safer outdoors.”

While residents have claimed to return to their hometown during this uncertain period, there are constant reminders of those the pandemic hit the hardest – the homeless in Cape Town.

While I was concerned about the cancellation of my flight back to France, thousands are concerned with maintaining a makeshift roof above their heads.

As with any trip to Cape Town, if you venture beyond the seaside bars, wineries and glamor, it’s clear that the city’s magic is, and always will be, reserved for the wealthy.

And as the virus progresses, the total divide between those who want nothing and those who have nothing seems to be increasing.