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President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country will drop to Level 3 of the national blockade in late May, but some parts of the country with higher Covid-19 infection rates will remain at Level 4.
Ramaphosa made this announcement during his speech to the nation on Wednesday.
FULL SPEECH | Level 3 crash will be implemented in late May
He said that the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) will begin a consultation process on proposals for the implementation of the next level.
The President also announced that commercial activity under Level 4 will be expanded. “In the coming days, we will also announce certain changes to Tier 4 regulations to expand permitted business activities in the retail space and e-commerce, and to reduce exercise restrictions.” Ramaphosa said the government’s goal has been to reduce the infection rate.
READ | When will SA Level 4 fall, and what will happen after that?
“For now, infections are mainly concentrated in some subways and districts of our country. It is important to maintain strict restrictions in those areas and to restrict travel outside of these areas to other parts of the country,” he said. He added that if the government lifts the blockade too abruptly and too quickly, South Africa risks a rapid and unmanageable increase in transmission.
Economic activity
“Our goal is to constantly increase economic activity while establishing measures to reduce virus transmission,” said Ramaphosa. According to expert data, without the blockade, South Africa’s projection of infection would have risen to 80,000 and an eight-fold higher death toll, he said. The president noted that 219 people had succumbed to the disease and that on Wednesday there were 12,074 confirmed cases. He said that the percentage of cases identified, based on the tests carried out, had remained low and stable.
ALSO READ | Trevor Manuel criticizes “irrational” blocking regulations
“The level of confirmed infection is around 181 people per million of the country’s population, in stark contrast to other countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, which have reported around 2,400 confirmed cases per million of its population.” By delaying the spread of the disease, we have been able to strengthen the capacity of our health system and launch extensive public health programs to better manage the inevitable increase in infections, “he said.
Criticized
The Ramaphosa government has been widely criticized for being indecisive and sending conflicting messages regarding the closing regulations. The prosecutor approached the courts after the party failed to obtain clarity on the criteria used to be eligible for the small business relief fund.
South African advocates had also written letters to Ramaphosa, demanding more transparency about the composition of the NCCC. Ramaphosa admitted that some of the government’s actions had not been clear and contradictory, and invoked anger and opposition. “Implementation has sometimes been slow, and implementation has sometimes been inconsistent and too harsh. Tonight, I want to reaffirm my commitment, and the commitment of the government I lead, to take whatever action is necessary to safeguard life, dignity and interest of the people of our country, “he said.
He assured South Africans that, where the government had failed, he would try to correct his mistakes.
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