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Coronavirus hot spots like Cape Town, Johannesburg, and eThekwini may require tighter restrictions as the government begins to take a more granular approach to outbreak assessment in the country.
In a statement released Sunday night (May 10), Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize said that while much progress has been made to date in treating the Covid-19 outbreak, with the peak still to come and the flu season just around the corner, Communities are likely to face health pressures in the coming months.
“We are dealing with a dynamic situation,” said Mkhize. “We will be monitoring and evaluating progress in various parts (of the country). There should be expected to be areas where it’s not the best way, just to get everything back to normal.
“In some cases, we may need to consider blockages, and some cases where we may need to consider intensified interventions in various ways.
“On all of these issues, we will need your support and cooperation. We still have a long way to go: there has been good progress so far, but we hope there will still be a lot of pressure in our communities, especially with the upcoming flu season, “he said.
#MinisterMkhizeSpeaks
Coronavirus hot spots such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, and eThekwini may require stricter restrictions.
“We will trust your support and cooperation” pic.twitter.com/sYmwBcxHMu– Dr. Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) May 10, 2020
Mkhize’s latest sentiments echo a position he expressed on Saturday night, commenting on the alarming rise in new infections in the Western Cape, where nearly 50% of all positive cases have been reported.
He said that special emphasis should be placed on working with health professionals in the public and private sectors to ensure that those who test positive are isolated and receive the necessary care.
Despite the growing number of infections, several analysts and experts have also called for the government to start opening the economy more quickly.
Stephan Malherbe, executive director of Genesis Analytics, said South Africa has managed to ease blocking restrictions in most areas identified by the World Health Organization, but has been unable to take a logical approach to open up the economy.
Here, he said, a differentiated approach with blocking multiple areas was very important.
While the Western Cape is clearly the epicenter of infection in South Africa, residents of the country’s smallest cities are asking the government not to paint all areas with the same brush.
Speaking to Rapport, Kuruman residents in the North Cape noted that their small town, where approximately 13,000 people live, has so far been untouched by the coronavirus, but they are subject to the same level 4 restrictions as the rest of the country. .
Data released this week pointed to the damage being done to the economy as a result of the global closure approach, including projections of GDP declines of between 6% and 16%, job losses of between 1 million and 7 million people, and a possible loss of income tax as high as R285 billion.
Business for SA (B4SA) has stated that moving quickly to a level 2 lockout will save more than a million jobs, while allowing people to stay safe and follow Covid-19 health protocols.
Read: It’s time for South Africa to move to the next phase of fighting the coronavirus: analysts
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